--- title: "Micah William Janso Smith | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/micah-w-smith" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Micah William Janso Smith U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii - State: Hawaii - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official judge-specific and circuitwide procedural guidance has been located for this profile. ## Biography ### Professional career - American lawyer and judge serving as a United States District Judge for the District of Hawaii since January 31, 2024 - Assistant U.S. attorney, Criminal Division, District of Hawaii, 2018-2024 - Assistant U.S. attorney, Criminal Division, Southern District of New York, 2012-2018 - Law clerk, Hon. David H. Souter, Supreme Court of the United States, 2007-2008 - Law clerk, Hon. Guido Calabresi, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 2006-2007 ### Education - J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2006 - B.A. summa cum laude in 2003 from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania ### Additional information - Chief, Appeals and Legal Strategy, 2022-2024 - Criminal civil rights coordinator, 2021-2024 - Deputy chief, Criminal Division, 2019-2024 - Lecturer in law, University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law, 2020 - Project Safe Neighborhoods Coordinator, 2019 - Co-chief, Violent Crime and Drug Section, 2018-2019 - Co-chief, Violent and Organized Crime Unit, 2017-2018 - Deputy chief, Violent and Organized Crime Unit, 2016-2017 - Acting deputy chief, Criminal Appeals Unit, 2016-2017 - Private practice, Washington, D.C., 2008-2012 - Born 1981. - Date of birth: 1981 - Smith was born in Mill Hall, Pennsylvania and graduated from Kauai High School. - Birth place: Mill Hall ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### presentation procedure Scope: judge specific Judge-specific source Evidence excerpt: IX. USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES. Pursuant to the Order Adopting Electronic Device Policy, effective March 18, 2014, any person may bring into the courthouse an electronic device, such as a cellular phone, smartphone, laptop, tablet, or similar device [MWJS%20Individual%20Rules%20of%20Practice.pdf](https://www.hid.uscourts.gov/cms/assets/51752d99-b6c8-426d-844b-1f97c07aeffa/MWJS%20Individual%20Rules%20of%20Practice.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-24 ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761366) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761366) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761366) - [MWJS%20Individual%20Rules%20of%20Practice.pdf](https://www.hid.uscourts.gov/cms/assets/51752d99-b6c8-426d-844b-1f97c07aeffa/MWJS%20Individual%20Rules%20of%20Practice.pdf) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [Judge Micah William Janso Smith](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761366) - [Wikidata: Micah W. J. Smith](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123584436) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/micah-w-smith", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/micah-w-smith", "name": "Micah William Janso Smith | KnowJudges", "description": "Micah William Janso Smith, U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/micah-w-smith#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/micah-w-smith#judge", "name": "Micah William Janso Smith", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/micah-w-smith", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761366" ], "birthDate": "1981", "birthPlace": "Mill Hall", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of Pennsylvania" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Harvard Law School" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Hawaii", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/hawaii" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Micah William Janso Smith", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/micah-w-smith" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 73 | 7 | Not available | 7 | | 2y | 173 | 63 | 2.4 | 63 | | 5y | 220 | 103 | 3 | 103 | | 10y | 220 | 103 | 3 | 103 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.