--- title: "Steven Lee Smith | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/steven-lee-smith-tx-10th-court-appeals" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Steven Lee Smith Texas 10th Court of Appeals · Court of Appeals Justice ## Profile - Court: Texas 10th Court of Appeals - State: Texas - Role: Court of Appeals Justice - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-27 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Justice, Texas Court of Appeals, 10th District (Waco), Waco, TX, 2021-present - Republican‐appointed justice of Place 3 on the Texas 10th Court of Appeals, serving since August 6, 2021, after a long career as a trial court judge in Brazos County. - Presiding Judge, Texas 361st Judicial District Court, Bryan, TX, 2019-2021 - Presiding Judge, Texas 361st Judicial District Court, Bryan, TX, 2015-2018 - Presiding Judge, Texas 361st Judicial District Court, Bryan, TX, 2011-2014 - Presiding Judge, Texas 361st Judicial District Court, Bryan, TX, 2007-2010 - Presiding Judge, Texas 361st Judicial District Court, Bryan, TX, 2003-2006 - Judge, Texas 361st Judicial District Court, Bryan, TX, 1999-2002 - Judge, Texas County Courts at Law, Brazos County Court at Law No.1, College Station, TX, 1995-1998 - Partner, Hoelscher, Lipsey, Elmore & Smith, College Station, TX, 1988-1994 - Judge, College Station Municipal Court, College Station, TX, 1988-1994 - Also Municipal Judge for College Station from 1988 to 1994 - Partner, Dillon, Lewis, Elmore & Smith, Bryan, TX, 1985-1988 - Associate then Partner, Dillon & Giesenschlag, Bryan, TX, 1979-1984 - Legal practice as a shareholder at Hoelscher, Lipsey, Elmore & Smith and Dillon & Giesenschlag ### Education - JD — The University of Texas at Austin — 1977 - University of Texas School of Law — J.D. (1977) - B.M.Ed. in Music Education from Abilene Christian University (1974) ### Additional information - His initial term ran through December 31, 2022, but he was re‐elected in the special general election of November 8, 2022, and his current term extends to December 31, 2028. - adj-prof, Blinn College, 2000-present - Appointed to the Tenth Court of Appeals of Texas by Governor Greg Abbott on August 6, 2021, succeeding the retired Hon. John Neill. - Justice Smith has held the role of Chair of the Judicial Section of the State Bar of Texas (2010–2011) and is a Sustaining Life Fellow of both the State Bar of Texas and the American Bar Association. - Practitioner, Dillon, Giesenschlag, Sharp & Delaney, Bryan, TX, 1977-1978 - Music Education, with high honors — Abilene Christian University — 1974 - Date of birth: 1952-04-19 - Before joining the Court of Appeals, Justice Smith had more than two decades in the 361st District Court of Brazos County, Texas. - Justice Smith and his late wife Becky are the parents of Christopher, a technology entrepreneur in Abilene, and Laura, an attorney in Washington, D.C. - He has taught judicial education courses in 13 states and holds a Certificate in General Jurisdiction Trial Skills from the National Judicial College. - He sits at Place 3 on the court. - Birth place: San Antonio, TX ## 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 ### appellate electronic filing Scope: statewide In Texas appellate courts, attorneys must electronically file civil and criminal documents, subject to a good-cause motion; self-represented parties may e-file but are not required to do so. Evidence excerpt: Attorneys in civil cases must electronically file documents. Attorneys in criminal cases must electronically file documents except for good cause shown in a motion filed in the appellate court. [Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, Rule 9.2, Electronic Filing](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1461885/texas-rules-of-appellate-procedure.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.txcourts.gov/10thcoa/about-the-court/justices/justice-steven-lee-smith/) - [Official roster](https://www.txcourts.gov/10thcoa/about-the-court/justices/justice-steven-lee-smith/) - [Texas Judicial Branch official judicial roster](https://www.txcourts.gov/10thcoa/about-the-court/justices/justice-steven-lee-smith/) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/16075/steven-lee-smith/) - [Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, Rule 9.2, Electronic Filing](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1461885/texas-rules-of-appellate-procedure.pdf) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/16075/steven-lee-smith/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/steven-lee-smith-tx-10th-court-appeals", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/steven-lee-smith-tx-10th-court-appeals", "name": "Steven Lee Smith | KnowJudges", "description": "Steven Lee Smith, Texas 10th Court of Appeals. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-08-02", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/steven-lee-smith-tx-10th-court-appeals#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/steven-lee-smith-tx-10th-court-appeals#judge", "name": "Steven Lee Smith", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/steven-lee-smith-tx-10th-court-appeals", "jobTitle": "Court of Appeals Justice", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "Texas 10th Court of Appeals" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.txcourts.gov/10thcoa/about-the-court/justices/justice-steven-lee-smith/", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/16075/steven-lee-smith/" ], "birthDate": "1952-04-19", "birthPlace": "San Antonio, TX", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Abilene Christian University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "The University of Texas at Austin" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Texas", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/texas" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Steven Lee Smith", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/steven-lee-smith-tx-10th-court-appeals" } ] } ] } ``` ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, Rule 9.2, Electronic Filing](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-e966a5411b2587c600cf3508) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1461885/texas-rules-of-appellate-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26.