Rodney Smith
Appointed by President Donald J. Trump in 2019 and confirmed by the Senate 78–18, Rodney Smith is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He earned a law degree from Detroit College of Law (now Michigan State University College of Law) in 1999. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1974 · age 52
- Appointed by
- Donald J. Trump, 2019
- Confirmed
- 78–18
- Education
- Florida A&M 1996 · Detroit College of Law (now Michigan State College of Law) 1999
- Succeeded
- Robin Stacie Rosenbaum
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Southern District of Florida succeeded Robin Stacie Rosenbaum | Trump (R) | 78–18 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 78–18 on June 12, 2019 · 116th Congress, Roll Call 157. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 78
26 D, 51 R, 1 I
- Tammy Baldwin(D-WI)
- John Barrasso(R-WY)
- Michael Bennet(D-CO)
- Marsha Blackburn(R-TN)
- Roy Blunt(R-MO)
- John Boozman(R-AR)
- Mike Braun(R-IN)
- Sherrod Brown(D-OH)
- Richard Burr(R-NC)
- Maria Cantwell(D-WA)
- Shelley Capito(R-WV)
- Ben Cardin(D-MD)
- Thomas Carper(D-DE)
- Bill Cassidy(R-LA)
- Susan Collins(R-ME)
- Christopher Coons(D-DE)
- John Cornyn(R-TX)
- Catherine Cortez Masto(D-NV)
- Tom Cotton(R-AR)
- Kevin Cramer(R-ND)
- Mike Crapo(R-ID)
- Ted Cruz(R-TX)
- Tammy Duckworth(D-IL)
- Richard Durbin(D-IL)
- Mike Enzi(R-WY)
- Joni Ernst(R-IA)
- Dianne Feinstein(D-CA)
- Deb Fischer(R-NE)
- Cory Gardner(R-CO)
- Lindsey Graham(R-SC)
- Charles Grassley(R-IA)
- Josh Hawley(R-MO)
- Martin Heinrich(D-NM)
- John Hoeven(R-ND)
- Cindy Hyde-Smith(R-MS)
- Jim Inhofe(R-OK)
- John Isakson(R-GA)
- Ron Johnson(R-WI)
- Doug Jones(D-AL)
- Timothy Kaine(D-VA)
- John Kennedy(R-LA)
- Angus King(I-ME)
- James Lankford(R-OK)
- Patrick Leahy(D-VT)
- Mike Lee(R-UT)
- Joseph Manchin(D-WV)
- Mitch McConnell(R-KY)
- Martha McSally(R-AZ)
- Jerry Moran(R-KS)
- Lisa Murkowski(R-AK)
- Christopher Murphy(D-CT)
- Patty Murray(D-WA)
- Rand Paul(R-KY)
- David Perdue(R-GA)
- Rob Portman(R-OH)
- Jack Reed(D-RI)
- James Risch(R-ID)
- Pat Roberts(R-KS)
- Mitt Romney(R-UT)
- Jacklyn Rosen(D-NV)
- Mike Rounds(R-SD)
- Marco Rubio(R-FL)
- Ben Sasse(R-NE)
- Rick Scott(R-FL)
- Tim Scott(R-SC)
- Jeanne Shaheen(D-NH)
- Richard Shelby(R-AL)
- Kyrsten Sinema(D-AZ)
- Dan Sullivan(R-AK)
- Jon Tester(D-MT)
- John Thune(R-SD)
- Thomas Tillis(R-NC)
- Patrick Toomey(R-PA)
- Tom Udall(D-NM)
- Mark Warner(D-VA)
- Sheldon Whitehouse(D-RI)
- Roger Wicker(R-MS)
- Todd Young(R-IN)
Voted against · 18
18 D
- Richard Blumenthal(D-CT)
- Bob Casey(D-PA)
- Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY)
- Kamala Harris(D-CA)
- Maggie Hassan(D-NH)
- Mazie Hirono(D-HI)
- Amy Klobuchar(D-MN)
- Edward Markey(D-MA)
- Robert Menendez(D-NJ)
- Jeff Merkley(D-OR)
- Gary Peters(D-MI)
- Brian Schatz(D-HI)
- Charles Schumer(D-NY)
- Tina Smith(D-MN)
- Debbie Stabenow(D-MI)
- Chris Van Hollen(D-MD)
- Elizabeth Warren(D-MA)
- Ron Wyden(D-OR)
Did not vote · 4
1 D, 2 R, 1 I
- Lamar Alexander(R-TN)
- Cory Booker(D-NJ)
- Steve Daines(R-MT)
- Bernard Sanders(I-VT)
Education
| Florida A&M University | B.S. | 1996 |
| Detroit College of Law (now Michigan State University College of Law) | J.D. | 1999 |
Before the bench
Professional career before and outside the federal bench, as recorded by the Federal Judicial Center.
| Assistant state attorney, Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Miami-Dade County, Florida | 1999-2003 |
| Trial attorney, United Automobile Insurance Company, Miami Gardens, Florida | 2003 |
| Private practice, Coral Gables, Florida | 2003-2004 |
| Private practice, Miami, Florida | 2004-2007 |
| Senior assistant city attorney, Miami Beach, Florida | 2007-2008 |
| Judge, Miami-Dade County [Florida] Court, Eleventh Judicial Circuit | 2008-2012 |
| Judge, Circuit Court of Florida, Eleventh Judicial Circuit, 2012-2019; Criminal Division, 2012-2015; Civil Division | 2015-2019 |
| Adjunct faculty, Division of Continuing & International Education, University of Miami | 2012- |
Judicial Record
Caseload & case types
In our data, Smith was assigned 3,544 district-court cases (1993–2026). Median time from filing to termination: 145 days across 2,974 closed cases.
Case assignment is from CourtListener’s PACER-derived docket records: a partial sample, not a complete caseload, reflecting the judge last assigned each case. How we count.
On appeal
Of 77 of Smith’s decisions reviewed on the merits by the U.S. courts of appeals in our data, 53 were affirmed, 10 reversed or vacated, and 14 affirmed in part and reversed in part. This is a historical count of appellate outcomes for cases we could match, not a judgment of the judge, and not a complete record. How we count.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Rodney Smith?
- President Donald J. Trump appointed Rodney Smith to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in 2019.
- Was Rodney Smith appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Rodney Smith was appointed by President Donald J. Trump, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Rodney Smith's confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed Rodney Smith 78–18 on June 12, 2019.
- Which court is Rodney Smith on?
- Rodney Smith is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- Confirmation roll-call (Senate.gov, 2019)
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
7 years on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Data as of 2026-09-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).