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Judge D. Brooks Smith of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit will be the commencement speaker at William & Mary Law School’s 2007 graduation. May 14, 2007
William & Mary Law School


Judge D. Brooks Smith

Judge D. Brooks Smith of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit will be the commencement speaker at William & Mary Law School’s 2007 graduation.

The ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 20, in the Sunken Garden at the College of William & Mary. About 200 law students will be awarded degrees.

President George W. Bush nominated Judge Smith to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in September 2001 and he was confirmed by the Senate the following July. The court serves Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Judge Smith is a member of the American Law Institute, the American Judicature Society, and the Federal Judges Association. He served on the U.S. Judicial Conference’s Criminal Rules Advisory Committee for six years and recently was appointed by Chief Justice John Roberts to the Conference’s Committee on Space and Facilities. Judge Smith has traveled to countries throughout Central and Eastern Europe to teach in judicial training sessions to enhance the rule of law and recently traveled to the Philippines to assist with a USAID Commercial Law and Institutional Reform initiative.

Judge Smith is a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College and received his law degree from the Dickinson School of Law. Prior to his appointment to the federal bench, he practiced law, served as district attorney, and sat on the state bench in Pennsylvania. He has been a member of many boards of trustees for nonprofit organizations, including those of institutions of higher learning.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, a 1965 graduate of the College of William & Mary, will serve as commencement speaker at the campus-wide ceremony earlier in the day.