Speaker Name
Chief Judge Lavenski R. Smith
Job Title
Chief Judge
Company
USCA, 8th Circuit
Speaker Bio
Chief Judge Lavenski R. Smith was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit by President George W. Bush on September 4, 2001, to a seat vacated by Richard S. Arnold. He was confirmed by the Senate on July 15, 2002, and received his commission on July 19, 2002.
Chief Judge Smith is a lifelong Arkansan. He was born and raised in Hope, Arkansas, and graduated from Hope High School in 1977. Chief Judge Smith earned his bachelor and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1981 and 1987, respectively. He is the son of Cayce B. (deceased) and Olee M. Smith (deceased). He is married to Trendle Smith, and they have two children.
Before joining the federal bench, Chief Judge Smith worked in both private practice and public service. From 1987 to 1991, he served as a staff attorney for Ozark Legal Services. In 1991, he opened a law office in Springdale, Arkansas. He practiced primarily civil law, including domestic relations, probate, workers’ compensation, commercial transactions, and real estate. While in private practice, Chief Judge Smith also did civil liberties work through the Rutherford Institute. Additionally, he taught business law as an adjunct professor and later as a full-time assistant professor at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, from 1994 to 1996.
Chief Judge Smith entered public service in the mid-1990s. In 1996, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee selected Chief Judge Smith to serve as his Regulatory Liaison. Then, in 1997, Governor Huckabee appointed Chief Judge Smith as Chairman of the Arkansas Public Service Commission. From January 1999 until the beginning of 2001, Chief Judge Smith served as an Associate Justice on the Arkansas Supreme Court, completing the term of retired Justice David Newbern. In 2001, Governor Huckabee again appointed Chief Judge Smith to the Arkansas Public Service Commission as a commissioner. He served as commissioner until his confirmation to the federal bench. He was appointed Chief Judge in March of 2017 and now serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States. On October 1, 2022 by appointment of Chief Justice John Roberts, Chief Judge Smith became Chair of the Executive Committee. He is the first Chair selected from the Eighth Circuit.
Chief Judge Smith is a lifelong Arkansan. He was born and raised in Hope, Arkansas, and graduated from Hope High School in 1977. Chief Judge Smith earned his bachelor and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1981 and 1987, respectively. He is the son of Cayce B. (deceased) and Olee M. Smith (deceased). He is married to Trendle Smith, and they have two children.
Before joining the federal bench, Chief Judge Smith worked in both private practice and public service. From 1987 to 1991, he served as a staff attorney for Ozark Legal Services. In 1991, he opened a law office in Springdale, Arkansas. He practiced primarily civil law, including domestic relations, probate, workers’ compensation, commercial transactions, and real estate. While in private practice, Chief Judge Smith also did civil liberties work through the Rutherford Institute. Additionally, he taught business law as an adjunct professor and later as a full-time assistant professor at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, from 1994 to 1996.
Chief Judge Smith entered public service in the mid-1990s. In 1996, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee selected Chief Judge Smith to serve as his Regulatory Liaison. Then, in 1997, Governor Huckabee appointed Chief Judge Smith as Chairman of the Arkansas Public Service Commission. From January 1999 until the beginning of 2001, Chief Judge Smith served as an Associate Justice on the Arkansas Supreme Court, completing the term of retired Justice David Newbern. In 2001, Governor Huckabee again appointed Chief Judge Smith to the Arkansas Public Service Commission as a commissioner. He served as commissioner until his confirmation to the federal bench. He was appointed Chief Judge in March of 2017 and now serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States. On October 1, 2022 by appointment of Chief Justice John Roberts, Chief Judge Smith became Chair of the Executive Committee. He is the first Chair selected from the Eighth Circuit.
Speaking At
