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Judge Tracy M. Smith

Minnesota Judicial Center
Court of Appeals
(651) 297-7650

Judge Tracy M. Smith

Appointed/Elected:

Appointed Feb. 3, 2016, by Governor Mark Dayton. Elected in 2018 and 2024. Current term expires Jan. 2031.


Education:

  • Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, University of Minnesota Law School
  • Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, Georgetown University 

Past Employment:

  • Deputy general counsel, University of Minnesota
  • Associate general counsel, University of Minnesota
  • Assistant attorney general, Minnesota Attorney General’s Office
  • Judicial law clerk, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

Professional and Community Activities:

  • Member, Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Evidence, 2024-present
  • Committee for Equality and Justice of Minnesota Judicial Branch, member, 2016-2024; co-chair, Community Outreach Subcommittee, 2018-2024
  • Supreme Court Appointee to Minnesota Judicial Selection Commission, 2011-2015
  • Minnesota State Bar Association member; Public Law Council member, 2020-present; co-chair of Data Practices Committee of Public Law Section, 1997-1998
  • Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society, member, 2018-present; Board member, 2024-present
  • Hennepin County Bar Association member; Committee on Budget and Planning, at-large member, 2005-2006; The Hennepin Lawyer Committee, 2006-2007
  • Minnesota Women Lawyers, past member; Board member, 1995-1996; Coordinator of law student mentor program, 1995-1996
  • Southwest High School Foundation Board member, 2016-2018; volunteer for Southwest High School sports boosters
  • Southwest Activities Council, Registration Coordinator and Board member, 2005-2013
  • Minneapolis Kids Advisory Council, 2008-2010

Teaching:

  • Cedar Riverside Adult Education Collaborative, Minneapolis, weekly class for English language learners, 2017-2019
  • Neighborhood House, St. Paul, weekly class for English language learners, 2013-2014
  • William Mitchell College of Law, Appellate Advocacy, Fall 2005, Fall 2006
  • University of Minnesota, College of Liberal Arts, Students and the Law, freshman Honors class, co-taught, Fall 2003