John Smoak

Nonpartisan

Prior offices:

United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida

Years in office: 2015 - 2022

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Years in office: 2005 - 2015

Education

Bachelor's

United States Military Academy, 1965

Law

University of Florida College of Law, 1972

Personal

Birthplace

Columbus, GA

John Richard Smoak Jr. was afederal judge on theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Florida. He joined the court in 2005 after being nominated by PresidentGeorge W. Bush. His service ended on May 2, 2022, upon his death.^[1]

Early life and education

Born inColumbus, Georgia, Smoak graduated from the United States Military Academy with his bachelor's degree in 1965 and from the University of Florida College of Law with hisJ.D. in 1972.^[1]

Military service

Smoak served in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1970.^[1]

Professional career

• 2005 - 2022:United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida

• 2015 - 2022: Senior judge
• 2005-2015: Judge

• 1973-2005: Private practice,Florida^[1]

Judicial career

Northern District of Florida

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
Name: John Richard Smoak Jr.
Court:United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
Progress
Confirmed 141 days after nomination.
ANominated: June 8, 2005
AABA Rating:Unanimously Well Qualified
Questionnaire:
AHearing: September 29, 2005
QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more)
AReported: October 20, 2005
AConfirmed: October 27, 2005
AVote: 97-0

Smoak was nominated by PresidentGeorge W. Bush on June 8, 2005, to a seat on theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Florida vacated byClyde Vinson. TheAmerican Bar Association rated SmoakUnanimously Well Qualified for the nomination. Hearings on Smoak's nomination were held before theSenate Judiciary Committee on September 29, 2005, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) on October 20, 2005. Smoak was confirmed on a recorded 97-0 vote of theU.S. Senate on October 27, 2005, and he received his commission on November 3, 2005. Smoak elected to takesenior status beginning on December 31, 2015.^[1][2][3]

See also

• United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
• United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit

External links

• Judge Smoak's biography from theFederal Judicial Center

Footnotes

v • e Federal judges who have served theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
Active judges	Chief Judge: Mark E. Walker (Federal judge)  •  Margaret Rodgers  •  T. Kent Wetherell  •  Allen Winsor
Senior judges	Robert Hinkle  •  Clyde Roger Vinson  •  Lacey Collier  •
Magistrate judges	Charles Kahn  •  Elizabeth Timothy  •  Martin Fitzpatrick  •  Hope Cannon  •  Michael Frank  •
Former Article III judges	George C. Young  •  William Stafford  •  Stephan Mickle  •  John Smoak  •  Isaac Hopkins Bronson  •  McQueen McIntosh  •  Philip Fraser  •  Thomas Settle  •  Charles Swayne  •  William Bostwick Sheppard  •  Augustus Long  •  Winston Arnow  •  George Carswell  •  Curtis Waller  •  George Whitehurst  •  Lynn Higby  •  David Middlebrooks  •  Dozier DeVane  •  Gary Jones (Florida)  •  Larry Bodiford  •
Former Chief judges	Robert Hinkle  •  Maurice Paul  •  Clyde Roger Vinson  •  William Stafford  •  Stephan Mickle  •  Winston Arnow  •  George Carswell  •

v • e Federal judges nominated byGeorge W. Bush
2001	Armijo •Bates •Beistline •Blackburn •Bowdre •Bunning •Bury •Caldwell •Camp •Cassell •Cebull •Clement •Clifton •Crane •Eagan •Engelhardt •Friot •Gibbons •Granade •Gregory •Gritzner •Haddon •Hartz •Heaton •Hicks •Howard •Johnson •Jorgenson •Krieger •Land •Leon •Mahan •Martinez •Martone •McConnell •Melloy •Mills •O'Brien •Parker •Payne •Prost •Reeves •Riley •Robinson •Rogers •Royal •Shedd •B. Smith •L. Smith •Walton •Wooten •Zainey
2002	Africk •Anderson •Autrey •Baylson •Cercone •Chesler •Clark •Collyer •Conner •Conti •Corrigan •Davis •Davis •Dorr •England •Ericksen •Fuller •Gardner •Godbey •Griesbach •Hanen •Hovland •Hudson •Jones •Jordan •Kinkeade •Klausner •Kugler •Leighton •Linares •Moses •Marra •Martinez •Martini •Mays •McVerry •Phillips •Raggi •Reade •Rose •Rufe •Savage •Schwab •Smith •St. Eve •Walter •White •Wolfson
2003	Adams •Altonaga •Bea •Benitez •Bennett •Boyle •Brack •Breen •Browning •Burns •Bybee •Callahan •Campbell •Cardone •Carney •Castel •Chertoff •Cohn •Colloton •Conrad •Coogler •Cook •Cooke •Crone •Der-Yeghiayan •Drell •Duffey •Duncan •Erickson •Feuerstein •Figa •Filip •Fischer •Fisher •Flanagan •Floyd •Frost •Gibson •Greer •Gruender •Guirola •Hall •Hardiman •Hayes •Herrera •Hicks •Holmes •Holwell •Hopkins •Houston •Irizarry •Jones •Junell •Karas •Kravitz •Martinez •McKnight •Minaldi •Montalvo •Mosman •Otero •Pickering •Prado •Pratter •Proctor •Quarles •Robart •Roberts •Robinson •Rodgers •Rodriguez •Sabraw •Sanchez •Saylor •Selna •Sharpe •Simon •Springmann •Stanceu •Steele •Stengel •Suko •Sutton •Sykes •Titus •Townes •Tymkovich •Van Antwerpen •Varlan •Wake •Wesley •White •Woodcock • Yeakel
2004	Alvarez •Benton •Boyko •Covington •Diamond •Harwell •Kelley •Schiavelli •Schneider •Starrett •Watson
2005	Alito •Barrett •Batten •Bianco •Brown •Burgess •Conrad •Cox •Crotty •Delgado-Colon •Dever •DuBose •Griffin •Griffith •Johnston •Kendall •Larson •Ludington •Mattice •McKeague •Neilson •Owen •Pryor •Roberts •Sandoval •Schiltz •Seabright •Smoak •Van Tatenhove •Vitaliano •Watkins •Zouhary
2006	Besosa •Bumb •Chagares •Cogan •Gelpi •Golden •Gordon •Gorsuch •Guilford •Hillman •Holmes •Ikuta •D. Jordan •K. Jordan •Kavanaugh •Miller •Moore •Shepherd •Sheridan •Smith •Whitney •Wigenton
2007	Anderson •Aycock •Bailey •Bryant •Davis •DeGiusti •Dow •Elrod •Fairbank •Fischer •Frizzell •Gutierrez •Hall •Hardiman •Haynes •Howard •Jarvey •Jones •Jonker •Kapala •Kays •Laplante •Limbaugh •Lioi •Livingston •Maloney •Mauskopf •Mendez •Miller •Neff •O'Connor •O'Grady •O'Neill •Osteen •Ozerden •Reidinger •Sammartino •Schroeder •Settle •Smith •Snow •Southwick •Suddaby •Sullivan •Thapar •Tinder •Van Bokkelen •Wood •Wright •Wu
2008	Agee •Anello •Arguello •Brimmer •Gardephe •Goldberg •Jones •Kethledge •Lawrence •Matsumoto •Melgren •Murphy •Scriven •Seibel •Slomsky •Trenga •Waddoups •White