[1] On February 20, 1936, Pollard was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia created by 49 Stat.
He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 27, 1936, and received his commission the same day.
He assumed senior status due to a certified disability on April 22, 1947.
Pollard served in that capacity until his death on May 24, 1954, in Richmond.
[1] Robert had a son, Robert Nelson Jr. who married Martha Oppenheimer Munson, a descendant of J. Robert Oppenheimer, and they had three children including a daughter, Martha Munson Pollard who married James Lind Easton and they had three children including a daughter, Susan who resides in Winter Garden, Florida.