Jerry L. Smith (Tennessee judge)
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Jerry L. Smith
Prior offices
Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Middle Section
Education
Jerry L. Smith was a judge on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. He was appointed to the court by Governor Don Sundquist (R) in November 1995 and retained by voters in 1996. He was retained again in August 1998 and 2006.[1][2] Smith retired from the bench on August 31, 2014, and was succeeded by Timothy L. Easter on September 1, 2014.[3][4]
Education
Smith received his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee in 1975 and his J.D. from the University of Tennessee, College of Law in 1978.[1]
Career
- 1995-2014: Judge, Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals
- 1989-1995: Deputy attorney general, Tennessee Attorney General's Office
- 1982-1989: Assistant attorney general, Tennessee Attorney General's Office
- 1978-1982: Attorney in private practice [1]
Noteworthy events
Smith arrested for DUI (2012)
- See also: Politicians convicted of DUI
On April 23, 2012, Smith was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence. At the time he was traveling from his home in Davidson County to hear criminal appeals in Knoxville. Officers stopped Smith, less than eight hours before he was scheduled to take the bench, after they spotted luggage falling out of the open hatchback of his vehicle. Smith took a leave of absence from the court following his arrest.[5][6]
Smith pleads guilty to DUI
Smith entered a guilty plea to a charge of driving under the influence before a judge in the Knox County General Sessions Court. He received the standard sentence for a first-time DUI offender. His driver's license was suspended for a year, and he served 48 hours in the Knox County Jail, with 5 hours credit for time served. In a statement, Smith said,
| “ | I apologize to my family, friends and the people of Tennessee for my behavior. . . I have taken steps and received treatment and can assure you this will not happen again.[6][7] | ” |
Smith returned to his position on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals on July 1, 2012, following a leave of absence.[6]
Smith not seeking re-election
In November 2013, Smith informed the Tennessee Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission he would not run for re-election after his current term expired in 2014. In October 2015, he was appointed as an adjunct faculty member to teach appellate practice at Belmont University College of Law, beginning in October 2016. He will also continue to teach at Nashville School of Law where he has been an instructor since 2002.[8]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Jerry Smith. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Tennessee State Courts, "Judge Jerry L. Smith"
- Tennessee State Courts, "Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals"
- Tennessee State Courts, "Tennessee Judicial District Map"
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Tennessee State Courts, "Judge Jerry L. Smith," accessed May 27, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee State Courts, "Court of Criminal Appeals, Judges," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ The Tennessean, "Judge Jerry L. Smith says he won't seek re-election," December 6, 2013
- ↑ Governor Haslam Newsroom, "Haslam Appoints Easter to Court of Criminal Appeals," August 19, 2014
- ↑ The Tennessean, "Court of Criminal Appeals judge can work despite DUI arrest," April 25, 2012
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Knoxville News Sentinel, "Appellate Judge Jerry Smith pleads guilty to DUI, serving 48 hours in jail," June 27, 2012, accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Tennessee State Courts, "Former CCA Judge Jerry Smith to Teach at Belmont College of Law," accessed November 9, 2015
