Criminal Court, Division IV
Jennifer L. Smith is Judge of Division IV, Criminal Court, 20th Judicial District. She was appointed by Governor Bill Haslam on November 14, 2018 to succeed Retired Judge Seth Norman.
Before her appointment, Smith served as Associate Solicitor General in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. She previously served as Deputy Attorney General of the Law Enforcement and Special Prosecutions Division and Associate Deputy of the Criminal Justice Division. She has handled criminal law cases at all levels, including both prosecutorial and defense perspectives, and has broad appellate and federal habeas corpus experience. She has argued three cases before the United States Supreme Court and numerous others in the state and federal appellate courts. She received her undergraduate and J.D. degrees from the University of Mississippi and a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University in Washington, D.C.
Smith serves as an Intelligence Officer in the United States Navy Reserve and has been twice deployed to conflict zones. She has two sons, Thomas and Daniel, and is actively involved as a parent and Committee Member of Boy Scout Troop 1914 at the Cathedral of the Incarnation.