Judge William E. Smith was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island by President George W. Bush in 2002. He served as Chief Judge from 2013 to 2019 and was the youngest person ever to serve as chief judge in the District of Rhode Island.  He assumed senior status in January 2025.

Judge Smith is active in federal judicial administration and education, serving on the Judicial Conference Committees on Judicial Resources, Information Technology, and Financial Disclosure; as chair of the Federal Judicial Center’s Committee on District Judge Education; and as a mentor for newly appointed and mid-career judges.  He currently serves on the Judicial Conference of the U.S., numerous community boards and is the past chair of the board of the Roger Williams University School of Law in Bristol, Rhode Island, where he has taught as an Adjunct Professor for fifteen years. 

Before his appointment to the bench, Judge Smith was a partner at Edwards & Angell in Providence, Rhode Island, the firm he joined after graduating from law school.  His practice focused primarily in labor and employment law and representation of state and municipal agencies, colleges and universities, non-profits, and private employers.  For one year, in 1999-2000, Judge Smith ran the R.I. Office of Sen. Lincoln Chafee.