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Robert J. Smith (Virginia judge)
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Robert J. Smith is a circuit court judge for the 19th Circuit, which serves Fairfax County in Virginia.[1] He has served as a judge on the court since February 1, 2008.[2]
Education
Smith received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1974 and his J.D. from the John Marshall Law School in 1978.[2]
Career
Before he joined the 19th Circuit in 2008, Smith served as a judge on the Fairfax County General District Court from 1987 to 2008. He has also previously served as a senior assistant public defender for Fairfax County from 1987 to 1990 and as a judge advocate general for the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps.[2]
Noteworthy cases
Smith rules Fairfax police cannot store vehicle license plate data
- See also: Virginia 19th Judicial Circuit
On April 1, 2019, Judge Robert J. Smith ruled that Fairfax police may not store license plate data obtained by license plate readers because the use of the system was a violation of a driver's constitutional right to privacy.
The American Civil Liberties Union originally challenged the retention of the data. After Smith's ruling, the group issued a statement saying, "This case demonstrates that random mass surveillance by law enforcement agencies is not exempt from the requirements of" Virginia's laws. "Although this decision applies only to Fairfax County, we hope police departments across the Commonwealth will take note and adjust their practices accordingly.[3]
Police Chief Edwin C. Roessler said there were measures being used to prevent unnecessary tampering with the data police stored. "The passive collection of data for us is not used for curiosity. The policy strictly prohibits the mere curiosity and I will terminate someone for violating that policy," he said.[3]
See also
External links
- Virginia's Judicial System, "Circuit/District Map"
- Virginia's Judicial System: Individual Circuit Court Pages
Footnotes
