---
title: "Walter Scott Smith Jr. | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/walter-scott-smith-jr-3025"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-08-02"
---

# Walter Scott Smith Jr.

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas · Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
- State: Texas
- Role: Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-06-30

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge, District Court, W.D. Texas, 1984-present
- U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Texas, appointed by President Ronald Reagan on September 11, 1984, confirmed by the Senate on October 3, 1984, and commissioned October 4, 1984
- Judge, McLennan County Texas Fifty-Fourth District Court, 1980-1983
- Practiced law in Waco, Texas, from 1966 to 1980, then held the role of a judge in McLennan County’s 54th State District Court (1980–1983)
- Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas

### Education


### Additional information

- Retired September 14, 2016.
- held the role of Chief Judge from 2003 to 2010.
- Smith was the first full‐time federal judge based in Waco, presiding over a high caseload, including notable cases such as the 1993 Branch Davidian siege in Waco.
- U.S. Magistrate, U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas, 1983-1984
- Private practice, Waco, TX, 1966-1980
- Born October 26, 1940 in Marlin, Texas, Smith earned a B.A. from Baylor University in 1964 and a J.D. from Baylor Law School in 1966.
- Date of birth: 1940-01-01
- Birth place: Marlin, TX

## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3025/walter-scott-smith-jr/)
- [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3025/walter-scott-smith-jr/)
- [U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3025/walter-scott-smith-jr/)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3025/walter-scott-smith-jr/)
- [Smith, Walter Scott, Jr. | Federal Judicial Center](https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/smith-walter-scott-jr)
- [Walter Smith Jr. - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Walter_Smith_Jr.)
- [Wikidata: Walter Scott Smith, Jr.](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7966106)

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## 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.