He lived in an attic without heat, and in 1923 a student committee declared that he was "not college material, and his poor clothing was embarrassing to the class.

[3] After Justice Paul D. Barns resigned from the Florida Supreme Court in 1949, Governor Warren appointed Roberts to the position, and he came to the bench on September 1.

[7] In 1965, Roberts helped establish the law school at Florida State University, and the main hall was named in his honor.

He helped start the District Court of Appeal system and served on state constitutional revision commissions in 1968 and 1972.

[2] He was controversial when his personal friendships conflicted with his conduct on the bench, and he resigned on December 1, 1976, amid public scrutiny of several judges.

The law firm of Roberts, Baggett, LaFace & Richard expanded to 16 lawyers in 1992 and merged with Greenberg Traurig.