Russell Evans Smith (November 16, 1908 – March 29, 1990) was a
United States district judge
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...
of the
United States District Court for the District of Montana
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...
.
Education and career
Born in
Butte
__NOTOC__
In geomorphology, a butte () is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from a French word mea ...
,
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
, Smith received a
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
from the
Alexander Blewett III School of Law
The Alexander Blewett III School of Law is a law school at the University of Montana in Missoula. It was established in 1911 and remains Montana's only law school. , the school accepted 83 applicants. The school tied for 103rd in the 2023 '' ...
at the
University of Montana
The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fal ...
in 1931. He was a marshal and
law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...
to the
Montana Supreme Court
The Montana Supreme Court is the supreme court, highest court of the state court system in the U.S. state of Montana. It is established and its powers defined by Article VII of the 1972 Montana Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court wh ...
from 1931 to 1933. He was in private practice in
Cut Bank
A cut bank, also known as a river cliff or river-cut cliff, is the outside bank of a curve or meander in a water channel (stream), which is continually undergoing erosion.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Ed, Stephen Marshak Cut banks are found in abu ...
, Montana, from 1933 to 1935, and in
Missoula, Montana, from 1935 to 1942. He was an instructor at the Alexander Blewett III School of Law from 1937 to 1942, and was then chief attorney of Montana's
Office of Price Administration
The Office of Price Administration (OPA) was established within the Office for Emergency Management of the United States government by Executive Order 8875 on August 28, 1941. The functions of the OPA were originally to control money (price contr ...
from 1942 to 1943. He was a lieutenant in the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
, in Aviation Combat Information during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, from 1943 to 1945. He returned to private practice in Missoula from 1945 to 1966, also continuing to teach at the Alexander Blewett III School of Law from 1946 to 1966.
Federal judicial service
On February 16, 1966, Smith was nominated by President
Lyndon B. Johnson to a seat on the
United States District Court for the District of Montana
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...
vacated by Judge
William Daniel Murray
William Daniel Murray (November 20, 1908 – October 3, 1994) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana.
Education and career
Born in Butte, Montana, Murray attended Columbia University, ...
. Smith was confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
on March 25, 1966, and received his commission the following day. He served as Chief Judge from 1968 to 1978, assuming
senior status
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...
on May 12, 1979. He served in that capacity until his death on March 29, 1990.
Honor
The
Russell Smith Courthouse
Russell may refer to:
People
* Russell (given name)
* Russell (surname)
* Lady Russell (disambiguation)
* Lord Russell (disambiguation)
Places Australia
* Russell, Australian Capital Territory
* Russell Island, Queensland (disambiguation)
** ...
in Missoula is named for him.
References
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Russell Evans
1908 births
1990 deaths
Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Montana
United States district court judges appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson
20th-century American judges
United States Navy officers
People from Butte, Montana
People from Missoula, Montana
University of Montana alumni
University of Montana faculty