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Tracy Smith
2016 - Present
2031
9
Tracy M. Smith is a judge for District 4 of the Minnesota Court of Appeals. She assumed office in 2016. Her current term ends on January 7, 2031.
Smith ran for re-election for the District 4 judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Biography
Smith received her B.A. cum laude from Georgetown University. She received her J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School.[1] At the time of her appointment to the court of appeals, Smith was the deputy general counsel for the University of Minnesota, representing the university in general litigation in state and federal district and appellate courts. She was appointed to that position in May 2013. She worked in employment law, constitutional law, antitrust and business tort claims, among other areas. Earlier, she was the associate general counsel for the university. In all, Smith worked at the University of Minnesota for 21 years. Smith has also been an assistant attorney general in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. As assistant attorney general in the early 1990s, she represented the State of Minnesota in consumer fraud investigations and lawsuits, worked on civil antitrust investigations, and handled criminal appeals. Smith has been a judicial law clerk for the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.[2][1][3]
One consumer fraud case Smith worked on, against Alipine Air Products, a marketer of air purifiers, went to the Minnesota Supreme Court and established that consumers do not need overwhelming evidence of harm to be entitled to refunds when marketers make false claims.[3]
Awards and associations
- Minneapolis Public Schools
- Volunteer, Southwest High School
- Former member, Minneapolis Public Schools Advisory Committee on Global Languages
- Former member, Minneapolis Kids Advisory Board
- Volunteer teacher for English language learners, Neighborhood House, Saint Paul, Minn.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Minnesota intermediate appellate court elections, 2024
General election
General election for Minnesota Court of Appeals District 4
Incumbent Tracy M. Smith won election in the general election for Minnesota Court of Appeals District 4 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Tracy M. Smith (Nonpartisan) | 99.0 | 1,829,184 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.0 | 19,094 | ||
| Total votes: 1,848,278 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Tracy M. Smith advanced from the primary for Minnesota Court of Appeals District 4.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Smith in this election.
2018
General election
General election for Minnesota Court of Appeals District 4
Incumbent Tracy M. Smith won election in the general election for Minnesota Court of Appeals District 4 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tracy M. Smith (Nonpartisan) | 99.2 | 1,567,799 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.8 | 11,983 | ||
| Total votes: 1,579,782 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Selection method
- See also: Nonpartisan election of judges
Judges of the Minnesota Court of Appeals are all chosen in nonpartisan elections to six-year terms. Candidates compete in primaries, from which the top two contestants advance to the general election.[4] Sitting judges must run for re-election if they wish to serve additional terms. While party affiliation is not designated on the ballot, incumbency is.[4] Interim vacancies are filled via gubernatorial appointment. Appointed judges serve until the next general election occurring more than one year after their appointment.[4] They may then stand for election to a full term, and other candidates may file to run against them.[5]
Qualifications
Judges are required to be "learned in the law" and under 70 years old. Sitting judges who reach the age of 70 while in office are allowed to serve until the last day of that month.[4][6]
Selection of the chief judge
The chief judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals is appointed by the governor to a three-year term.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Tracy M. Smith did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Office of Governor Mark Dayton & Lt. Governor Tina Smith, "Governor Dayton appoints Commissioner Lucinda E. Jesson and Tracy M. Smith to Minnesota Court of Appeals," December 4, 2015
- ↑ Melanie Sommer, Bring Me the News, "Dayton appoints Human Services head, U of M attorney, to Appeals Court," December 5, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chris Serres, Star-Tribune, "Dayton appoints top commissioner, U counsel to Minnesota Court of Appeals," December 4, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Minnesota," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ The Office of the Revisor of Statutes, "Constitution of the State of Minnesota," accessed August 8, 2016
- ↑ Office of the Revisor of Statutes, "2006 Minnesota Statutes," accessed July 30, 2014
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Minnesota • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Minnesota
State courts:
Minnesota Supreme Court • Minnesota Court of Appeals • Minnesota District Courts • Minnesota Problem-Solving Courts • Minnesota Tax Court • Minnesota Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals
State resources:
Courts in Minnesota • Minnesota judicial elections • Judicial selection in Minnesota
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