William E. Smith (judge)

William Edward Smith (born December 31, 1959, in Boise, Idaho) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island and a former federal judicial nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

William Edward Smith
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island
In office
November 30, 2013 – November 30, 2019
Preceded byMary M. Lisi
Succeeded byJohn J. McConnell Jr.
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island
Assumed office
November 15, 2002
Appointed byGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byRonald Rene Lagueux
Personal details
Born
William Edward Smith

(1959-12-31) December 31, 1959[1]
Boise, Idaho
EducationGeorgetown University (BA)
Georgetown University Law Center (JD)

Background

Smith received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgetown University in 1982 and his Juris Doctor cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 1987.

He was in private practice in Providence, Rhode Island, from 1987 until 2000. From 1993 until 1998, he was also a part-time judge in the town of West Warwick. Smith was the staff director of the Rhode Island office of United States Senator Lincoln Chafee from 2000 until 2001. From 2001 to 2002, he returned to private practice in Providence.

From 2001 to 2002, Smith was an adjunct professor at Providence College. He currently teaches as an adjunct professor at Roger Williams University School of Law.

District court service

Smith was nominated by President George W. Bush on July 18, 2002, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island vacated by Ronald R. Lagueux. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 14, 2002, and received his commission on November 15, 2002. He was the chief judge from November 30, 2013 to November 30, 2019.[2] He announced his plans to assume senior status on January 1, 2025 after the 2024 presidential election.[3][4]

First Circuit nomination under Bush

Smith was nominated on December 6, 2007, by President George W. Bush to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit vacated by Judge Bruce M. Selya, who assumed senior status on December 31, 2006. Rhode Island's two Democratic senators, Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, both of whom had been cut out of Smith's selection by the White House,[5] issued a lukewarm joint response to the nomination: "Before giving someone a lifetime appointment to the federal bench we need to carefully review their record. We will be sure to give Judge Smith’s nomination thorough and independent review." Previously, Whitehouse had suggested in September 2007 that the Senate should not consider any Bush appointment for the First Circuit that late in the president’s term.[6] Smith's nomination was not confirmed.

References
  1. Hearings Before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, One Hundred Seventh Congress, First Session, Part 5
  2. William E. Smith at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  3. "UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE WILLIAM E. SMITH TO TAKE SENIOR STATUS JANUARY 1, 2025" (PDF). rid.uscourts.gov (Press release). Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  4. White, Tim. "Longtime federal judge William Smith to step back from full-time case work". wpri.com. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  5. "William Smith Fact Sheet - Bush’s Nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit" (PDF). Federal Judicial Center. March 18, 2008.
  6. John E. Mulligan and G. Wayne Miller, Bush selects Smith for U.S. appeals court, The Providence Journal (December 7, 2007).

Sources
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