  owen josephus roberts (may 2, 1875&nbsp;â may 17, 1955) was an associate justice of the united states supreme court for fifteen years. he also led two roberts commissions, the first that investigated the attack on pearl harbor and the second that focused on works of cultural value during the war. at the time of world war ii, he was the only republican appointed justice on the supreme court of the united states and one of only three justices to vote against franklin d. roosevelt's orders for japanese american internment camps in korematsu v. united states. ==early life and career== roberts was born in philadelphia and attended germantown academy and the university of pennsylvania, where he was elected to the phi beta kappa societysupreme court justices who are phi beta kappa members, phi beta kappa website, accessed oct 4, 2009 and was the editor of the daily pennsylvanian. he completed his bachelor's degree in 1895 and went on to graduate at the top of his class from university of pennsylvania law school in 1898.portrait at the university of pennsylvania he first gained notice as an assistant district attorney in philadelphia. he was appointed by president calvin coolidge to investigate oil reserve scandals, known as the teapot dome scandal. this led to the prosecution and conviction of albert b. fall, the former secretary of the interior, for bribe-taking. ==supreme court== roberts was appointed to the supreme court by herbert hoover after hoover's nomination of john j. parker was defeated by 
1875_births 1955_deaths American_Episcopalians Daily_Pennsylvanian_people Law_school_deans Members_of_the_American_Philosophical_Society Pennsylvania_Republicans People_from_Philadelphia,_Pennsylvania United_States_Supreme_Court_justices United_States_federal_judges_appointed_by_Herbert_Hoover University_of_Pennsylvania_Law_School_alumni University_of_Pennsylvania_alumni