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Biography
Robert Daniel Potter (April 4, 1923 – July 2, 2009) was a United States federal judge.
Born in Wilmington, North Carolina, Potter was in the United States Army during World War II, from 1944 to 1947. He received an A.B. from Duke University in 1947 and an LL.B. from Duke University School of Law in 1950. He was in private practice in Charlotte, North Carolina from 1951 to 1981. He was a Commissioner in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina from 1966 to 1968.
On October 1, 1981, Potter was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina created by 92 Stat. 1629. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 29, 1981, and received his commission the same day.
Potter was known for handing out long sentences in convictions that were at or near the maximum, a tendency that won him the nickname "Maximum Bob." He was best known as the presiding judge in the trial of defrocked televangelist Jim Bakker. He served as chief judge from 1984 to 1991. He assumed senior status on May 1, 1994. On July 2, 2009, Judge Potter died.