Retired or Appointed Elsewhere
Expected Retirement
Judge, 6th District Court of Appeal. Appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis.
Circuit Judge, 13th Judicial Circuit Court. Appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis.* He lost the retention vote in 2022 (48.1%).
County Judge, Hillsborough County. Appointed by Governor Rick Scott.* Won the retention vote in 2018 (66.7%).
* Appointed instead of running for election because of a vacancy between election cycles.
Before he became a judge, Smith had about 15 years of experience as an attorney. In that time, he argued 4 jury trials, 6 non-jury trials, 4 arbitration cases, and 4 cases for administrative bodies to completion. He served from 2002 to 2006 in the U.S. Air Force as a JAG Officer. He handled all personal injury and medical malpractice claims. He also advised the Chief of Operations and the Chief of Staff at the base hospital. He also acted as a prosecutor, handling cases involving crimes including drugs and administrative discharge. In 2003, he was appointed Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and prosecuted civilian crimes in federal court. After leaving the Air Force, he specialized in civil law, mostly construction law. He defended owners, general contractors and subcontractors. He then shifted his focus to another specialization. He also handled cases for personal injury, automotive negligence, and bank litigation.
Before that, he clerked for 2 years at the Kansas Supreme Court.
Smith ran as a Republican for the Kansas State House of Representatives 123rd District in 1998 while he was in law school. During the Primary, he dropped out and endorsed one of the other two candidates.
This judge is a member of the Federalist Society.
This judge is a textualist, who uses an interpretation of the Constitution that is advocated by the Federalist Society.
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