Steven Lee Smith

Professional career

• adj-prof, Blinn College, 2000-present
• Partner, Hoelscher, Lipsey, Elmore & Smith, College Station, TX, 1988-1994
• Partner, Dillon, Lewis, Elmore & Smith, Bryan, TX, 1985-1988
• Associate then Partner, Dillon & Giesenschlag, Bryan, TX, 1979-1984
• Practitioner, Dillon, Giesenschlag, Sharp & Delaney, Bryan, TX, 1977-1978

Judicial service

• Judge, College Station Municipal Court, College Station, TX, 1988-1994
• Judge, Texas County Courts at Law, Brazos County Court at Law No.1, College Station, TX, 1995-1998
• Judge, Texas 361st Judicial District Court, Bryan, TX, 1999-2002
• Presiding Judge, Texas 361st Judicial District Court, Bryan, TX, 2003-2006
• Presiding Judge, Texas 361st Judicial District Court, Bryan, TX, 2007-2010
• Presiding Judge, Texas 361st Judicial District Court, Bryan, TX, 2011-2014
• Presiding Judge, Texas 361st Judicial District Court, Bryan, TX, 2015-2018
• Presiding Judge, Texas 361st Judicial District Court, Bryan, TX, 2019-2021
• Justice, Texas Court of Appeals, 10th District (Waco), Waco, TX, 2021-present
• Justice Smith was appointed to the Tenth Court of Appeals of Texas by Governor Greg Abbott on August 6, 2021, succeeding the retired Hon. John Neill. His initial term ran through December 31, 2022, but he was re‑elected in the special general election of November 8, 2022, and his current term extends to December 31, 2028. He sits at Place 3 on the court.
• Justice Steven Lee Smith is a Republican‑appointed justice of Place 3 on the Texas 10th Court of Appeals, serving since August 6, 2021, after a long career as a trial court judge in Brazos County.
• Brazos County Court at Law No. 1 (1995–1998)
• College Station Municipal Court (1988–1994)
• He was also Municipal Judge for College Station from 1988 to 1994.
• Before joining the Court of Appeals, Justice Smith had more than two decades in the 361st District Court of Brazos County, Texas. His prior judicial service includes:
• Legal practice as a shareholder at Hoelscher, Lipsey, Elmore & Smith and Dillon & Giesenschlag
• Justice Smith and his late wife Becky are the parents of Christopher, a technology entrepreneur in Abilene, and Laura, an attorney in Washington, D.C.
• Official court profile: Texas 10th Court of Appeals — Justice Steven Lee Smith

Education

• Abilene Christian University · Music Education, with high honors, 1974
• The University of Texas at Austin · JD, 1977

Personal record

Born April 19, 1952 · San Antonio, TX