Judge Karen Sanchez Roper was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1969.  She is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Newnan B. Sanchez of Chiefland, Florida.  She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from the University of Georgia in 1991, where she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority and served as a Georgia Girl for the UGA Athletic Department.  She earned her Juris Doctor from the University Of South Carolina School Of Law in 1994.  During law school, she was named as a finalist in the J. Woodrow Lewis Moot Court Competition and was selected to argue a contested case before the South Carolina Supreme Court.

Judge Roper is married to attorney Ken Roper, with whom she practiced law for over 15 years at Roper Law Firm, primarily handling domestic, probate, and local government matters.  She was previously employed as an attorney with the firm of Laddaga, Crout, and Drachman, P.A., in Charleston.  She has represented clients in both the upstate and lowcountry Family Courts through her various roles as private attorney, DSS prosecutor, defense counsel through the Office of Indigent Defense, Guardian ad Litem, and Certified Family Court Mediator.  She also is admitted to practice before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court.

In addition to her professional activities, Judge Roper has a strong commitment to service in the Pickens community, particularly in areas concerning the well-being of children and families.  She has served with Women United of Pickens County United Way, Pickens County First Steps, Prevent Child Abuse Pickens County, Cannon Memorial Hospital Foundation, and the Anderson-Oconee-Pickens Mental Health Center.  She is a graduate of Leadership Pickens County, past president of Pickens Women’s Association, a former member of the Liberty and Pickens Chambers of Commerce, and was previously nominated as Pickens County Businesswoman of the Year. She and her family are members of Pickens Presbyterian Church, where she has served as Clerk of the Session, Elder, and Trustee.   

Judge Roper and her husband are the proud parents of two sons, one who attends graduate school at Winthrop University, and the other who is an undergraduate at the University of South Carolina.  She enjoys reading, watching SEC football, and spending time on Lake Keowee with her family and her dogs.