Lawrence "Larry" Roberts is a former Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....

.

Roberts attended Uniontown High School

Uniontown Area School District

Uniontown Area School District is a highly fragmented school district located in Uniontown, Fayette County, Pennsylvania. It serves the city of Uniontown and the boroughs of Ohiopyle, and Markleysburg. It also serves Wharton, Henry Clay, Menallen, Franklin, and Stewart townships. The district...

, graduating in 1959. He attended the Community College of the Air Force

Community College of the Air Force

The Community College of the Air Force is a federal program offered by the United States Air Force which grants two year Associate of Applied Science degrees in association with Air University....

 and Bowie State College before earning a master's at Central Michigan University

Central Michigan University

Central Michigan University is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan...

 in 1981.

Roberts was first elected to represent the 51st legislative district

Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 51

The 51st Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in Fayette County and inckudes the following areas:* Bullskin Township * Connellsville Township* Fairchance* Georges Township...

 in 1992. The Herald-Standard newspaper sued in 2000 to gain access to Roberts' cellular and long-distance phone records, citing the fact that the calls were paid for with state money. The suit was dismissed, but in 2003 the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania

Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania is one of two Pennsylvania intermediate appellate courts. The Commonwealth Court's headquarters is in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Superior Court of Pennsylvania is the other intermediate appellate court in the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System...

 to reconsider whether a Herald-Standard reporter's civil rights were violated when Roberts showed the sought-after phone records to another reporter, but not to the original reporter. The full case was dismissed in 2006.

He retired prior to the 2006 election

Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2006

The 2006 Elections for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives were held on November 7, 2006, with all districts being contested. Necessary primary elections were held on May 16, 2006. Members elected in 2006 were inaugurated on January 2, 2007...

. Activists had targeted him because of his support for the controversial 2005 legislative pay raise

2005 Pennsylvania General Assembly pay raise controversy

In the early morning hours of July 7, 2005, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed pay increases for state lawmakers, judges, and top executive-branch officials. The vote took place at 2 a.m. without public review or commentary and Governor Ed Rendell signed the bill into law...

Roberts accepted the optional "unvouchered expense account" money, which were used by the legislature to "skirt a [constitutional] prohibition on midterm raises."

External links

• Pennsylvania House of Representatives - Lawrence Roberts official PA House website (archived)