Russell Evans Smith
Appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966 and confirmed by voice vote, Russell Evans Smith was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. He earned a law degree from University of Montana School of Law in 1931. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1908–1990
- Appointed by
- Lyndon B. Johnson, 1966
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- University of Montana Law 1931
- Succeeded
- William Daniel Murray
- Succeeded by
- Paul Gerhart Hatfield
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | District of Montana succeeded William Daniel Murray | L.B. Johnson (D) | Voice vote |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.
Confirmation vote
Voice vote
The Senate approved this confirmation aloud, with no senator-by-senator tally recorded. Recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989.
Education
| University of Montana School of Law | LL.B. | 1931 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Smith authored 100 published opinions for the court (1966–1987). Most cited: Spotted Eagle v. BLACKFEET TRIBE OF BLACKFEET INDIAN RES., CITY OF BROWNING (34 citations).
A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included. Counts and rankings are objective and recomputable: how we count. We describe the record, not the judge.
Recent & notable rulings
| Year | Case | Citation | Cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Spotted Eagle v. BLACKFEET TRIBE OF BLACKFEET INDIAN RES., CITY OF BROWNING | 301 F. Supp. 85 | 34 |
| 1975 | Fite v. Retail Credit Company | 386 F. Supp. 1045 | 31 |
| 1979 | Peretti v. State of Mont. | 464 F. Supp. 784 | 27 |
| 1970 | Hornung v. Richardson-Merrill, Inc. | 317 F. Supp. 183 | 19 |
| 1969 | Wentz v. Alberto Culver Company | 294 F. Supp. 1327 | 19 |
| 1967 | Leuthold v. Camp | 273 F. Supp. 695 | 18 |
| 1966 | Walker v. FIREMANS FUND INSURANCE COMPANY | 260 F. Supp. 95 | 18 |
| 1973 | Enterprise Electric Co. v. Blackfeet Tribe of Indians | 353 F. Supp. 991 | 17 |
| 1978 | Boe v. Fort Belknap Indian Community of Fort Belknap Reservation | 455 F. Supp. 462 | 16 |
| 1977 | Glacier General Assurance Co. v. Casualty Indemnity Exchange | 435 F. Supp. 855 | 16 |
| 1976 | Fallon v. United States | 405 F. Supp. 1320 | 16 |
| 1973 | United States v. Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation | 364 F. Supp. 192 | 16 |
| 1972 | Scanlan v. Norma Projektil Fabrik | 345 F. Supp. 292 | 16 |
| 1967 | Walker v. Fireman's Fund Insurance Company | 268 F. Supp. 899 | 16 |
| 1977 | Montana Contractors' Ass'n v. Secretary of Commerce | 439 F. Supp. 1331 | 15 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 100 authored opinions in our data. “Cited” is inbound citations across the CourtListener corpus. Case links open the ruling’s full text (CourtListener) or its page here; read the methodology and verify against the primary source.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Russell Evans Smith?
- President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Russell Evans Smith to the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana in 1966.
- Was Russell Evans Smith appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Russell Evans Smith was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Russell Evans Smith's confirmation vote?
- Russell Evans Smith was confirmed by voice vote on March 25, 1966. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Russell Evans Smith on?
- Russell Evans Smith was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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24 years on the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).