[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 7 (Thursday, February 5, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E108-E109]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        A TRIBUTE TO LA SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE SHERMAN SMITH, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JULIAN C. DIXON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 5, 1998

  Mr. DIXON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to outstanding 
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, the Honorable Sherman Smith, Jr. For 
nearly two decades, Judge Smith has presided over cases in a fair and 
forthright manner, earning him the respect of his judicial peers, as 
well as the admiration of the many members of the bar who have tried 
cases in his courtroom.
  Judge Smith received his undergraduate and law degrees from Howard 
University in Washington, DC. Following his 1969 graduation from law 
school, he headed west to Los Angeles, landing a job with the public 
defender's office, where he helped the poor achieve justice through our 
legal system. He then spent a year at the L.A. City Attorney's office, 
working in the appellate department and then as one of the special 
counsels for then-City Attorney Burt Pines. He worked an additional 
year with the office as a prosecutor in West Los Angeles before being 
appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1979 by then-Governor 
Jerry Brown, Jr. Judge Smith eventually reached the ranks of presiding 
judge, making substantial changes and working to modernize the court. 
He served on the Municipal Court bench for nine years.
  In 1988 he was elected to a Superior Court seat and has served on the 
court's budget and personnel committee, chairing the education 
subcommittee of its access and fairness committee. During this period 
he was also active in judicial education, serving four years on the 
California Judicial Education and Research board and teaching for the 
program.
  Judge Smith's commitment to the court and to a fair and equitable 
judicial system for every citizen honors our system of jurisprudence. I 
am honored to call him my friend and to have this opportunity to 
provide this brief retrospective of his exemplary career with my 
colleagues. I ask that you join me in paying tribute to him for his 
distinguished contributions to

[[Page E109]]

the court and to the citizens of Los Angeles. Thank you, Sherman, for 
your many years of public service.

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