The Honorable Inez Smith Reid

Judge Inez Smith Reid was appointed to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in 1995 by President William Jefferson Clinton.

Judge Reid was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, but was raised in the District of Columbia where she attended elementary and secondary public high schools. She holds the degrees of Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude, from Tufts University, law degree from Yale Law School, Master of Arts from U.C.L.A., Ph.D. from Columbia University, and Master of Laws in the Judicial Process from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Judge Reid previously served as General Counsel for the New York State Division for Youth and Deputy General Counsel for Regulation Review of the old federal Department of Health, Education and Welfare. She also served as Inspector General of the Environmental Protection Agency and Corporation Counsel for the District of Columbia (now Attorney General, District of Columbia). She also engaged in the private practice of law with three firms, including Graham & James, and Lewis, White & Clay, specializing in litigation, environmental law, white-collar crime, and commercial law. She also handled pro bono employment discrimination cases.

Judge Reid served as an Adjunct Professor and Constitutional Scholar in the Department of Government, School of Public Affairs, American University for many years. She also taught previously at the State University of New York, City University of New York, Barnard College, Columbia University, and the University of West Virginia College of Law. She is the author of scholarly writings in the areas of constitutional law, environmental law, African politics, and African-American History. Since September 1996, Judge Reid has served as Chair of the D.C. Courts' Standing Committee on Fairness and Access to the District of Columbia Courts.