District Circuit Court Judge Phil Smith passed away Saturday night, confirms The Tennessee Judiciary

District Circuit Court Judge Phil Smith of Davidson County died Saturday night at the age of 62, confirmed The Tennessee Judiciary.

Judge Smith was recently re-elected on Sept. 1 as the judge for Division IV of the Tennessee 20th Judicial District Circuit Court.

As a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1988 and of Tennessee State University in 1984, the early career of Judge Smith was marked by his role as an assistant district attorney in the 20th Judicial District. There, his focus was on Child Support Enforcement.

Governor Phil Bredesen appointed Judge Smith to the bench for the first time in March of 2009. In addition to this year, he was also re-elected in 2010 and 2014.

Judge Smith went on to become a special judge for the Davidson County 2nd Circuit Court, 5th Circuit Court and Probate Court. He served as a special referee for the Davidson County Juvenile Court as well.

The Women’s Political Collaborative of Tennessee presented Judge Smith with a “Good Guys Award” in 2015 for his focus on domestic violence cases. He was active in his local community, having been a hearing panel member on the Board of Professional Responsibility.

Judge Smith joined the Norman Law Offices in 1990 and began his own practice alongside Phillip Robinson and Teresa Webb Oglesby in March 2001.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: District Circuit Court Judge Phil Smith passed away Saturday night