During his brief Supreme Court tenure he authored several majority opinions, including the decision in Ogden v. Saunders, which was the only majority opinion that Chief Justice John Marshall ever dissented from during his 34 years on the Court.

[2][8] Their daughter Rebecca married Garrett Davis, who represented Kentucky in the U.S. House (1839–1847) and then in the U.S. Senate (1861–1872).

[6][11] A staunch Jeffersonian Republican, he served only one term, as he intensely disliked the tumult of politics.

Confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 31, 1817, he served for nine years, until his appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States in May 1826.

[3][14] Trimble was nominated as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court by President John Quincy Adams on April 11, 1826, to succeed Thomas Todd.

[15] Opposition to the nomination came from fellow Kentuckian, Senator John Rowan, whose states' rights views ran counter to positions taken by Trimble while serving on the circuit court that favored federal authority over state authority.

[18] During his Supreme Court tenure, Trimble generally agreed with the opinions of Chief Justice John Marshall.

[21][22] Also, the Liberty ship SS Robert Trimble, built in Brunswick, Georgia during World War II, was named in his honor.