Charles Lynwood Smith Jr. at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
- Jurisdiction
- Alabama · Federal
- Judicial service
- December 26, 1995–present
Charles Lynwood Smith Jr.
Judge · U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
Available research
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Biography
Professional career
- Professional Career: Private practice, Huntsville, Alabama, 1972-1981
- Judge, Alabama Circuit Court, Twenty-Third Judicial Circuit, 1981-1995
- Judge, Madison County Alabama District Court, 1981-present
- Lecturer in political science, University of Alabama, 1972-1976
- Private practice, Huntsville, AL, 1972-1981
- Law clerk, Hon. Frank H. McFadden, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama, 1971-1972
Judicial service
- Judge, District Court, N.D. Alabama, 1995-2013
- Professional Career: Judge, Alabama Circuit Court, Twenty-Third Judicial Circuit, 1981-1995
- Professional Career: Judge, Alabama District Court, Madison County, 1981
Education
- Rutgers University-New Brunswick · M.A., 1967
- Rutgers University · M.A., 1967
- University of Alabama School of Law · J.D., 1971
- University of Alabama · B.A., 1966
Personal record
Born 1943 · Talladega, AL
Courtroom rules and guidance
Civil Remote Testimony
In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards.
For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location.Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court ↗
Criminal Recording And Broadcasting
Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception.
Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom.Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited ↗
Sources
Federal Judicial Center biography
Identity source · HTML · checked July 25, 2026
https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387931CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · checked August 2, 2026
https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3002/charles-lynwood-smith-jr/Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedureFederal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts