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, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina from 1966 to 1968.
Potter was a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. Potter was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on October 1, 1981, to a new seat created by 92 Stat. 1629. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 29, 1981, and received his commission the same day. He was known as "Maximum Bob" for handing out maximum sentences in convictions and was the judge in the trial of defrocked televangelist Jim Bakker. He served as chief judge from 1984-1991. He assumed senior status on May 1, 1994. On July 2, 2009, Judge Potter died.