Born on April 21, 1908, in Hungary, Roth received a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1931 from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor of Laws in 1935 from the University of Michigan Law School.

[1] Roth was nominated by President John F. Kennedy on April 19, 1962, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan vacated by Judge John Feikens.

[citation needed] A suit by the NAACP charging that the Detroit, Michigan public school system was racially segregated as a result of official policies was filed against Michigan Governor William Milliken.

[citation needed] After reviewing the case and concluding the system was segregated, Roth ordered the adoption of a desegregation plan that encompassed eighty-five outlying school districts.

[citation needed] The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the metropolitan plan.