Curtis Roll Explained

Curtis William Roll (August 29, 1884 – November 8, 1970) was a justice of the Indiana Supreme Court from January 5, 1931, to January 4, 1943. He was a Democrat.[1]

Born in Fredericksburg, Washington County, Indiana, Roll received an A.B. from Indiana University in 1909, followed by an LL.B. from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 1912.[2] He served as the county attorney for Howard County, Indiana from 1913 to 1914, and a prosecutor in Kokomo, Indiana, from 1912 to 1931.[2] He was elected to the Indiana Supreme Court in the Democratic wave of 1930.[1] Roll authored two important opinions with "noted political repercussions", one denying a recount to 1938 U.S. Senate candidate Raymond E. Willis, and the other striking down a 1941 legislative effort to diminish the powers of Governor Henry F. Schricker.[1] Roll declined to seek re-election in 1942.[1]

Before and after his service on the Supreme Court of Indiana he engaged in private law practice. He is buried in Paoli, Orange County, Indiana.[1]

Notes and References

  1. https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/notablealumni/42/ Maurer School of Law Notable Alumni: Curtis William Roll
  2. Minde C. Browning, Richard Humphrey, and Bruce Kleinschmidt, "Biographical Sketches of Indiana Supreme Court Justices", Indiana Law Review, Vol. 30, No. 1 (1997), section reproduced in Indiana Courts Justice Biographies page.