ST. PAUL, MN - Today, Governor Mark Dayton announced the appointment of Stephen L. Smith as District Court Judge in Minnesota's Second Judicial District. Mr. Smith will be replacing the Honorable Joanne M. Smith, who retired earlier this year. Mr. Smith will be chambered at Saint Paul in Ramsey County.

"It is my great pleasure to appoint Stephen Smith to serve as Judge in the Second Judicial District," said Governor Dayton. Mr. Smith has demonstrated his commitments to justice and public service through his excellent work as a public defender, and in the Office of the Attorney General."

 

Mr. Smith is the principal attorney at The Law Firm of Stephen L. Smith, PLLC, where he litigates employment, criminal, and civil rights cases in state and federal court. Additionally, Mr. Smith has served nearly 14 years as an Assistant State Public Defender. Previously, he was a Special Assistant Attorney General for the Minnesota Attorney General's Office and an attorney with the law firms Sprenger and Lang and Messerli and Kramer. He earned his B.A. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and his J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law.

 

Mr. Smith is a member of various organizations, including the Minnesota Association for Justice, the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers.

 

Minnesota's Second Judicial District consists of Ramsey County.

 

More information on the Commission on Judicial Selection, as well as vacancies it is currently considering, can be found at /governor/appointments/judicial-appointments/index.htmhttp://mn.gov/governor/appointments/judicial-appointments/.

 

/governor/assets/smith_stephen_tcm1055-97623.jpgA headshot of Mr. Smith is attached.