Born in Marlin, Texas, Smith received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Baylor University in 1964.
He was a judge of the 54th State District Court in McLennan County, Texas from 1980 to 1983.
[2] On December 3, 2015, the Judicial Council of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit suspended Smith from office for a year, allowing him to clear cases already on his docket.
Cases filed in the Waco Division of the Western District will be handled by visiting judges during Smith's suspension.
The suspension resulted due to allegations of unwanted sexual advances by Smith towards a female courthouse employee in his chambers in 1998.