Civil Rights Prosecutor Micah W.J. Smith Confirmed as Federal Judge in Hawai'i

Smith becomes the 157th federal judge confirmed during the Biden administration.

The U.S. Senate today held a recorded vote to confirm one individual as an Article III federal judge. With this confirmation, 157 judges nominated by President Joe Biden have now been confirmed by the Senate. With today’s action, 119 of Biden’s judicial nominees have been approved for service on federal district courts.

In a 57-41 vote, Micah W.J. Smith was confirmed as a Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawai’i. He is Biden’s first confirmation to the 4-person court, with one additional vacancy where Biden’s nominee is awaiting confirmation by the Senate.

Smith assumes the Honolulu-based seat currently held by John Michael Seabright, who previously announced his intention to take senior status in January 2024. A nominee of President George W. Bush, Seabright has served on this court since 2005 and was Chief Judge from 2015 to 2022. Smith was nominated to this seat on the federal judiciary by Biden in September 2023.

Smith was an associate and counsel at O’Melveny & Myers LLP in Washington, D.C. from 2008 to 2012. He then served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York from 2012 and 2018. Since 2018, he has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawai’i. He currently serves as the office’s Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, Criminal Civil Rights Coordinator, and Chief of Appeals and Legal Strategy.