Salt Lake Telegram | 1935-05-07 | Page 1 | Owen Roberts Eyed by G. O. P.

In Spotlight t T I rV 1 Justice Roberts OWEN ROBERTS EYED BYG BYC BY Q 0 O. 0 P P. Seen as Possible 1936 Standard Bearer v WASHINGTON ASHINGTON May 7 7 UP UP- UP Sp Speculation on the 1936 Republican presidential nominee turn turned d toda today to Associate Supreme Court Justice Owen J J. Roberts of Pennsylvania who wrote the decision which killed the railway workers' workers pension act Roberts is 60 years old best known to 10 the public for his prosecution prosecution prose prose- cution of Harry F. F Sinclair and Al Albert Albert Al- Al bert B B. B Fall in cases grow l growing out of the Elk Hills HUts and Teapot Dome oil scandals He meets many of or orthe the Republican presidential spec spec- If his name appears with thE tho conservative group in the courts court's forthcoming case opinion involving validity of N RA R RA RA A there might even be some little clamor for Roberts for lor president Henceforth his opinion will be scrutinized for or political ideas thoughts thoughts' and prejudices Precedent Piece Prece rece- rece dent for drafting supreme court justices was established by the Republicans Republicans Republicans Re Re- publicans in 1916 with Charles Evans Evans Evans Ev Ev- ans Hughes a EX Examination of Roberts' Roberts legal egal and judicial record reveals a middie middle middle mid mid- dle die of the road moderate liberal whose fortune swelled upon the re retainers retainers re- re of such clients as the Phila Phila- Philadelphia delphia Rapid Transit company and the Pennsylvania railroad Except for three years' years early service as Philadelphia county assistant district district dis dis- dis attorney Roberts held no regular regular regular reg reg- ular public office until May 20 1930 when his nomination to the supreme supreme su su- su- su preme premo court by President Hoover was confirmed by the senate Roberts attracted attention after appointment to the supreme bench by joining the theretofore liberal Iberal minority Increasing its habitual h voting strength to five and thereby thereby there there- by permitting It to control the court on several interesting if it not vital issues Ho He sided with Justices Justices Jus Jus- tices Uces olmes JaImes Brandeis Stone and Hughes to uphold New v Jerseys Jersey's state regulation n of fire fir insurance rates and helped keep Indiana's chain store t tax operative