Jefferson Circuit Court
Hon. Ann Bailey Smith
Division 13
PERSONAL
Married for 27 years to attorney Leo G. Smith
Mother of 4 children (2 girls & 2 boys); ages 19, 21, 23 and 25
Lifelong resident of Louisville
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Graduated from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville in May 1982 with a Juris Doctorate Degree (Member, Law Review staff)
Graduated from the University of Louisville in May 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English
Portland Christian High School—graduated in three years
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
JEFFERSON DISTRICT COURT JUDGE
November 2008 to the present
I was elected to the district court bench in November 2008 to complete the term of a judge who retired. I ran unopposed in 2010 and will complete my term in December of this year. During my time on the bench, I have presided over a criminal docket where I conducted both jury and bench trials. I have also presided over a civil docket with both jury and bench trials. I have issued written opinions in motions for summary judgment, judgment on the pleadings, and default judgments.
Since December 2012 I have served as Chief Judge of the Jefferson District Court, having been elected by my colleagues. My term as Chief Judge runs through December 2014. In addition to chairing term meetings, I represent the district court term on the Louisville Bar Association Board of Directors, the Jefferson County Planning and Coordinating Council, the Louisville Metro Criminal Justice Commission, the Community Accountability Board, and the Jail Policy Committee.
In addition to my court obligations, I also meet one afternoon per week with a group of teenage boys who have been sent to a state-run camp through juvenile court and who are now re-entering our community. We discuss school, home-life, after school employment, and other issues in an effort to encourage them to become law-abiding citizens.
STAFF ATTORNEY WITH THE LOUISVILLE METRO PUBLIC DEFENDER
Oct. 1982-Feb.1986; March 1987-March 1988; April 1991-Feb. 2008
My responsibilities included representing indigent defendants in circuit and district courts, including juvenile court and mental inquest court. I have defended people accused of crimes ranging from misdemeanor public intoxication to felony murder in which the death penalty was sought.
As a defense attorney, I served as lead counsel in more than fifty (50) jury trials.
I served as Chief Trial Attorney in both the Adult and Capital Trial Divisions. In that capacity I supervised an average of eight (8) staff trial attorneys at any given time.
PROSECUTOR WITH THE JEFFERSON COUNTY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
February 1989-December 1990
I was entrusted with the responsibility of handling DUI trials for the County Attorney’s Office. In that capacity, I handled approximately 30 jury trials. I also prosecuted numerous bench trials.
ASSOCIATE WITH THE LAW FIRM OF GOLDBERG & SIMPSON, P.S.C.
March 1986-March 1987
My areas of practice included personal injury, divorce, and child custody.
MEMBERSHIPS
• Kentucky Bar Association (since October 1982)
• Louis D. Brandeis American Inn of Court (Masters category) (currently President-Elect)
• Louisville Bar Association (former co-chair of the Criminal Law Section)
• Kentucky Supreme Court Civil Rules Committee, appointed by Justice Lisabeth Abramson
• Louisville Bar Association’s Diversity Initiative Task Force
• Lawyers Advisory Task Force for Strategic Planning for the Brandeis School of Law
• Former member and Chair of Citizens for Better Judges (CBJ)
AWARDS
As a judge, 2013 recipient of the Kentucky Association of Criminal Defense
Lawyers’ Fair Administration of Justice Award.
As a defense attorney, 2002 Recipient of the Gideon Award established by the Department of Public Advocacy in celebration of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision and “awarded to the person who has demonstrated commitment to equal justice and who has courageously advanced the right to counsel for poor people in Kentucky.”
As a graduate, Honored as Outstanding Alumna of the Brandeis School of Law in 1998.
As a law student, First Place, Pirtle-Washer Moot Court Competition (1980) – the Brandeis School of Law’s “oldest and most prestigious intramural moot court tournament.”