Asa Hutchinson: “I rise to speak about Judge Lavenski Smith who has been confirmed this evening for the eighth circuit court of appeals.…”

“I rise to speak about Judge Lavenski Smith who has been confirmed this evening for the eighth circuit court of appeals. This is a great evening for him and his family. He is going to be a great jurist. I congratulate Judge Smith tonight. I thank President Bush for making an excellent choice, a choice that I think Arkansas can feel good about, the Eighth Circuit can feel good about, and, indeed, the country can feel good about. Judge Smith is an excellent choice. He is the first African American to represent the State of Arkansas in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. He will do so with great distinction. I will speak, very briefly, about his career. But the hallmark of Judge Smith's entire career has been one of service. It has been a storybook tale. He is a native of Hope, AR. He earned both his bachelor's degree and his law degree from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He worked his way through college. Following law school, he clerked for 3 years, and then he served the poorest citizens of Arkansas as the staff attorney for Ozark Legal Services, representing abused and neglected children. After working with Ozark Legal Services, he opened the first minority-owned firm in Springdale, AR, handling primarily civil cases. He then taught business law at John Brown University and took several positions in public service, including Regulatory Liaison for Governor Huckabee.”