A native of Southeastern Idaho, Smith received his B.S. degree in 1974 and his J.D. in 1977. Following law school, he returned to Idaho and practiced from 1977 to 1981 as Associate and Assistant General Counsel for the J.R. Simplot Company, one of the largest privately-owned companies in the world. He concurrently taught business and accounting courses at Boise State University from 1979 to 1981. In 1982, Smith joined the law firm Merrill & Merrill, where he remained for thirteen years, first as an associate, and later as a partner beginning in 1984. That same year he began a long second career as an adjunct professor at Idaho State University where he continues teaching accounting, business law, and political science courses in the Economics and Political Science Departments. Smith left private practice in 1995 to become a trial judge for the Sixth Judicial District of Idaho, a position he held until his confirmation to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Click here for a full biography.