Christopher E. Smith (born 1958) is an American legal academic who is a specialist in correctional law. He succeeded lawyer and political activist

Zolton Ferency Zolton Anton Ferency (June 30, 1922 – March 23, 1993) was an American lawyer, political activist and Professor of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University (MSU). Ferency was born in Detroit, Michigan, in a Hungarian-American family. He ser ...

as Michigan State University's faculty specialist on constitutional rights in criminal justice. He teaches courses on criminal justice, law, and public policy in Michigan State's School of Criminal Justice.

Biography

After growing up in Michigan, Smith earned his bachelor's degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

before earning a master's degree at the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

, a J.D. degree at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

, and a Ph.D. in political science from the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

. He joined Michigan State University's faculty in 1994 after previously teaching political science at the

University of Akron The University of Akron is a public research university in Akron, Ohio. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advanced materials, and engineering. It is classified ...

and the University of Connecticut-Hartford.

Work

Smith has written dozens of books focusing on American government,

constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a State (polity), state, namely, the executive (government), executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as th ...

, criminal justice, and the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

. As the author of more than 100 articles for both scholarly and public audiences, his work has appeared in ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'', ''American Journal of Criminal Justice'', and ''

Political Research Quarterly ''Political Research Quarterly'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal that covers the field of political science. The editors-in-chief, editor-in-chief is Charles Anthony Smith (University of California, Irvine); with associate editors: An ...

.''

Legislative career

In 2018, Smith was a candidate for the

US House The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from the MI-08 district. He was defeated in the Democratic primary by Elissa Slotkin, who also won the general election.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Chris 1958 births Living people American legal scholars Michigan State University faculty Harvard University alumni Alumni of the University of Bristol University of Tennessee College of Law alumni University of Connecticut alumni