Lavenski Smith
Lavenski R. "Vence" Smith (born October 31, 1958) is an American judge, who is the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. He previously served as an Arkansas state judge, and has been a federal judge since 2002.
Lavenski Smith | |
|---|---|
| Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit | |
| Assumed office March 11, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | William J. Riley |
| Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit | |
| Assumed office July 19, 2002 | |
| Appointed by | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Richard S. Arnold |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 31, 1958 Hope, Arkansas |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | University of Arkansas (BA) University of Arkansas School of Law (JD) |
Education
Smith, a lifelong Arkansan, is a native of Hope, Arkansas, and graduated from Hope High School. He completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Arkansas in 1981, and a Juris Doctor degree at the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1987.[1]
Career
Before joining the federal bench, Smith worked in both private practice and public service. Notably, Governor Mike Huckabee had appointed Smith as an Associate Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court as well as a Commissioner on the Arkansas Public Service Commission. He was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for the Arkansas Court of Appeals in 1998. Smith had also been an assistant professor at John Brown University and an Executive Director of the Rutherford Institute.[1]
Federal judicial service
He was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit by President George W. Bush on September 4, 2001 and was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 15, 2002 by voice vote.[2] He has been Chief Judge since March 11, 2017.
References
- "Department of Justice Biography of Judge Smith". Archived from the original on November 21, 2001. Retrieved 2006-04-10.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), 2001
- "PN889 - Nomination of Lavenski R. Smith for The Judiciary, 107th Congress (2001-2002)". 15 July 2002.
External links
- Lavenski Smith at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Richard S. Arnold |
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit 2002–present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by William J. Riley |
Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit 2017–present | |