Edward G. Smith

Edward George Smith (born 1961) is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Edward G. Smith
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Incumbent
Assumed office March 31, 2014
Appointed by	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Berle M. Schiller
Personal details
Born	1961 (age 59–60) Fort Knox, Kentucky
Education	Franklin & Marshall College (B.A.) Dickinson School of Law (J.D.)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1984–present
Rank	Captain
Unit	Judge Advocate General's Corps
Commands	Naval Reserve Naval Justice School
Awards	Bronze Star

Biography

Smith received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1983 from Franklin and Marshall College. He received a Juris Doctor, cum laude, in 1986 from Dickinson School of Law at Penn State University. He is a twenty seven-year veteran of the United States Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps, holding the rank of Captain and currently serves 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.[1][2]

Federal judicial service

On August 1, 2013, President 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 took senior status on June 18, 2012.[1] On January 16, 2014 his nomination was reported out of committee.[3] On March 13, 2014 Senate Majority Leader Reid filed a motion to invoke cloture on the nomination. On March 26, 2014, cloture was invoked on the nomination in a 75–23 vote.[4] He was later confirmed that same day by a vote of 69–31.[5] Notably, Judge Smith received more "aye" votes from Republican senators than from Democratic senators.[6][2]

In August 2017, Smith upheld a Boyertown Area School District policy guaranteeing transgender students use of their preferred locker room.[7][8]

References

1. "President Obama Nominates Six to Serve on the United States District Courts". 1 August 2013.
2. "Smith, Edward George – Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
3. "Executive Business Meeting". United States Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
4. "U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 113th Congress – 2nd Session". Vote Summary: Vote Number 83. United States Senate. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
5. "U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 113th Congress – 2nd Session". Vote Number 87. United States Senate. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
6. "A first? GOP majority vote on Obama judge nominee". Washington Post. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
7. 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)
8. Doe ex rel. Doe v. Boyertown Area School District, 897 F. Supp. 3d 324 (E.D. Pa. 2017).

External links

• Edward G. Smith at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Edward G. Smith at Ballotpedia