RNLA is pleased to support the nomination of Justin Smith to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. The letter below was submitted in anticipation of Smith's confirmation hearing which can be viewed here. View RNLA's letter in PDF form here.

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Dear Chairman Grassley and Ranking Member Durbin:

As leaders of the Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA), we urge you to swiftly approve the nomination of Justin Smith to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

We find Mr. Smith to be an excellent fit to fill this vacancy given his deep roots in the Eighth Circuit legal community. After attending the University of Missouri School of Law, Mr. Smith went on to work in both private practice and government service in Missouri.

Notably, Mr. Smith served as First Assistant and Chief of Staff to then-Attorney General of Missouri Eric Schmitt. During that time, Mr. Smith played an integral role in extensive litigation brought by the office centering on the defense of constitutional rights of Americans against government overreach and achieved favorable outcomes at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Since leaving government service, Mr. Smith has continued to focus on vigorously defending the constitutional rights of Americans in high-profile cases at the nationally-respected James Otis Law Group.

In the midst of a charged political climate, selection of judicial nominees who have demonstrated a commitment to fairness and respect for the rule of law are of the utmost importance. Mr. Smith has displayed these qualities throughout his career and would no doubt bring these same qualities to the bench as a jurist.

We encourage the Senate to provide President Donald J. Trump with its advice and consent and expeditiously confirm Mr. Smith as Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Sincerely,