Edward G. Smith
Edward G. Smith | |
---|---|
![]() Smith in 2014 | |
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania | |
In office March 31, 2014 – November 27, 2023 | |
Appointed by | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Berle M. Schiller |
Succeeded by | vacant |
Personal details | |
Born | Fort Knox, Kentucky, U.S. | September 17, 1961
Died | November 27, 2023 | (aged 62)
Political party | Republican[1] |
Spouse | Jennifer Ireland |
Children | 3 |
Education | Franklin & Marshall College (BA) Pennsylvania State University (JD) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() |
Years of service | 1984–1990 (active) 1990–2023 (reserves) |
Rank | ![]() |
Unit | Judge Advocate General's Corps |
Commands | Naval Reserve Naval Justice School |
Awards | Bronze Star |
Edward George Smith (September 17, 1961 – November 27, 2023) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Background
[edit]Smith received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1983 from Franklin and Marshall College. He received a Juris Doctor, cum laude, in 1986 from Penn State Dickinson Law. He was a twenty seven-year veteran of the United States Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps, holding the rank of Captain and served as Commanding Officer of the Naval Reserve Naval Justice School. He has served as a military trial judge and military appellate judge and earned the Bronze Star for service in Iraq without V device for valor. He began his career as an Assistant Force Judge Advocate in Norfolk, Virginia and then served as a Senior Trial Defense Counsel for two years in Philadelphia, representing Navy and Marine personnel in various matters. From 1990 to 2002, he was a partner at the law firm of DeRaymond & Smith in Easton, Pennsylvania. From 2002 to 2014, he served on the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas in Northampton County, handling both civil and criminal matters.[2][3]
Smith ran for Congress as a conservative Republican in 1996, seeking to represent Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district.[4] He lost the Republican primary.[5]
Federal judicial service
[edit]On August 1, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Smith to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, to the seat vacated by Judge Berle M. Schiller, who assumed senior status on June 18, 2012.[2] Smith was nominated as part of a bipartisan package of judicial nominees which included Gerald McHugh.[6] On January 16, 2014, his nomination was reported out of committee by a voice vote.[7] On March 13, 2014 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed a motion to invoke cloture on the nomination. On March 26, 2014, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 75–23 vote.[8] He was confirmed later that day by a 69–31 vote.[9] Notably, he received more "aye" votes from Republican senators than from Democratic senators.[4] He received his commission on March 31, 2014.[3]
In August 2017, Smith upheld a Boyertown Area School District policy guaranteeing transgender students use of their preferred locker room.[10][11]
Personal life and death
[edit]Smith was married to Jennifer Ireland and had three sons and two stepsons.[12] He was from Easton, Pennsylvania, where he attended Easton Area High School; at the time of his death, he was a resident of nearby Plainfield Township.[13]
Smith died on November 27, 2023, at the age of 62.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ Voruganti, Harsh (March 31, 2017). "Understanding Blue Slips: What Are They and Why Do They Matter?". The Vetting Room. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
- ^ a b "President Obama Nominates Six to Serve on the United States District Courts". whitehouse.gov. August 1, 2013 – via National Archives.
- ^ a b Edward G. Smith at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ a b Itkowitz, Colby (March 26, 2014). "A first? GOP majority vote on Obama judge nominee". Washington Post. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
- ^ "Kilbanks tallies upset victory in 15th District". The Morning Call. April 24, 1996. p. B2. Retrieved November 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Casey, Toomey Applaud Nomination of McHugh, Smith to U.S. District Court for the Eastern District | U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania". August 2013.
- ^ "Executive Business Meeting" (PDF). United States Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
- ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Edward G. Smith, of Pennsylvania, to be U.S. District Judge)". United States Senate. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
- ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation Edward G. Smith, of Pennsylvania, to be U.S. District Judge)". Retrieved March 26, 2014.
- ^ Note, Recent Case: Third Circuit Holds that Allowing Transgender Students to Use Their Preferred Sex-Segregated Spaces Does Not Violate Cisgender Students’ Right to Privacy, 132 Harv. L. Rev. 2058 (2019).
- ^ Doe ex rel. Doe v. Boyertown Area School District, 897 F. Supp. 3d 324 (E.D. Pa. 2017).
- ^ "The Honorable Edward G. Smith". Legacy.com. The Express-Times. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ^ a b Miller, Rudy (November 28, 2023). "Easton-based U.S. District Judge Edward G. Smith has died". The Express-Times. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
External links
[edit]- Edward G. Smith at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- Edward G. Smith at Ballotpedia
- 1961 births
- 2023 deaths
- 20th-century American lawyers
- 21st-century American judges
- Candidates in the 1996 United States elections
- Dickinson School of Law alumni
- Franklin & Marshall College alumni
- Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas
- Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania lawyers
- People from Northampton County, Pennsylvania
- United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama
- United States Navy reservists
- United States Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps
- Easton Area High School alumni