I have broad interests encompassing many aspects of criminal justice policy and the operations of the criminal justice system. Many of my books and articles examine topics concerning law and courts. Recent publications address such topics as judicial policy making, the U.S. Supreme Court and constitutional criminal procedure, habeas corpus, and symbolic aspects of law.

I teach the following courses in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University:

CJ 375: Criminal Law Process
CJ 471: Law of Corrections
CJ 474: Law and Criminal Justice Policy
CJ 873: Legal Issues in Criminal Justice

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

Michigan State University, School of Criminal Justice:

Professor (1998-current)
Associate Professor (1994-1998)

Associate Professor (1991-94)
Director of Graduate Studies (1992-94)
Assistant Professor (1987-91)

Instructor [part-time] (1985-87).

Instructor [part-time] (1986).
 
 

BOOKS  (Please click here to see book covers)
 

LAW AND CONTEMPORARY CORRECTIONS. Wadsworth/West
Publishing (in press, forthcoming, 1999).
 
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN AMERICA, 2nd ed. Wadsworth/West
Publishing, 1998. [with George F. Cole] [first ed. 1995]

SUPREME COURT UPDATE: 1997. Wadsworth/West Publishing,
1998. [with Thomas R. Hensley and Joyce A. Baugh]

THE AMERICAN SYSTEM OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE. 8th ed.
Wadsworth/West Publishing, 1997. [with George F. Cole]

COURTS, POLITICS AND THE JUDICIAL PROCESS, 2nd ed.
Nelson-Hall, 1997 [1st ed. 1993].

THE REHNQUIST COURT AND CRIMINAL PUNISHMENT.
Garland Publishing, 1997.

THE CHANGING SUPREME COURT: CONSTITUTIONAL
RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES West Publishing, 1997.
[with Thomas R. Hensley and Joyce A. Baugh]

SUPREME COURT UPDATE: 1996. West Publishing, 1997.
[with Thomas R. Hensley and Joyce A. Baugh]

THE JURISPRUDENTIAL VISION OF JUSTICE ANTONIN
SCALIA. Rowman & Littlefield, 1996. [with David A. Schultz]

JUDICIAL SELF-INTEREST: FEDERAL JUDGES AND COURT
ADMINISTRATION. Praeger, 1995.
 
CRITICAL JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS AND POLITICAL CHANGE:
THE IMPACT OF CLARENCE THOMAS. Praeger, 1993.
 
COURTS AND PUBLIC POLICY. Nelson-Hall, 1993.

JUSTICE ANTONIN SCALIA AND THE SUPREME COURT'S
CONSERVATIVE MOMENT. Praeger, 1993.

POLITICS IN CONSTITUTIONAL LAW: CASES AND
QUESTIONS. Nelson-Hall, 1992.

COURTS AND THE POOR. Nelson-Hall, 1991.

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATES IN THE FEDERAL COURTS:
SUBORDINATE JUDGES. Praeger, 1990.

TOPICS

A. U.S. SUPREME COURT---CRIMINAL JUSTICE
B. U.S. SUPREME COURT---JUDICIAL BEHAVIOR & CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
C. CORRECTIONS LAW AND POST-CONVICTION REMEDIES
D. COURTS
E. OTHER

A. U.S. SUPREME COURT -- CRIMINAL JUSTICE  (return to article topics)

"Law and Symbolism." Accepted for publication in Detroit College of Law Review. (forthcoming 1998)

"Criminal Justice and the 1996-97 U.S. Supreme Court Term." University of Dayton Law Review 23 (1997): 29-58.

"Turning Rights into Symbols: The U.S. Supreme Court and Criminal Justice." Criminal Justice Policy Review 8 (1997): 99-117.

"Criminal Justice and the 1995-96 U.S. Supreme Court Term." University of Detroit/Mercy Law Review 74 (1996): 1-25.

"The Impact of New Justices: The U.S. Supreme Court and Criminal Justice Policy." Akron Law Review 30 (1996): 55-71.

"Teaching the Irrelevance of Law on Criminal Procedure." Journal of Criminal Justice Education 7 (1996): 45-58.

"The Constitution and Criminal Punishment: The Emerging Visions of Justices Scalia and Thomas." Drake Law Review 43 (1995): 593-613.

"The Rehnquist Court's Activism and the Risk of Injustice." Connecticut Law Review 26 (1993): 53-77. [with A. Jones]

"Justice Antonin Scalia and Criminal Justice Cases." Kentucky Law Journal 81 (1992-93): 187-212.

"Police Professionalism and the Rights of Criminal Defendants." Criminal Law Bulletin 26 (1990): 155-166.

"Bright-Line Rules and the Supreme Court: The Tension Between Clarity in Legal Doctrine and Justices' Policy Preferences." Ohio Northern University Law Review 16 (1989): 119-137.

"Presidential Pardons and Accountability in the Executive Branch." Wayne Law Review 35 (1989): 1113-1131. [with S. P. Johnson]

B. U.S. SUPREME COURT -- JUDICIAL BEHAVIOR AND CONSTITUTIONAL LAW  (return to article topics)

"Clarence Thomas: A Distinctive Justice." Seton Hall Law Review 28 (1997): 1-28.

"Race-ing Into the Twenty-First Century: The Supreme Court and the (E)Quality of Justice." University of Toledo Law Review 28 (1997): 279-300. [with J. Burrow]

"Doubting Thomas: Confirmation Veracity Meets Performance Reality." Seattle University Law Review 19 (1996): 455-496. [with J. Baugh]

"Bent on Original Intent," American Bar Association Journal 82 (October 1996): 48-52.

"Membership Change and Voting Change: An Analysis of the Rehnquist Court's 1986-1991 Terms." Political Research Quarterly 48 (1995): 837-856. [with T. Hensley]

"The First-Term Performance of Justice Stephen Breyer." Judicature 79 (1995): 74-79. [with J. A. Baugh and T. R. Hensley]

"The First-Term Performance of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg." Judicature 78 (1994): 74-80. [with J. A. Baugh, T. R. Hensley, and S. P. Johnson]

"Unfulfilled Aspirations: The Court-Packing Efforts of Presidents Reagan and Bush." Albany Law Review 57 (1994): 1111-1131. [with T. R. Hensley]

"Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Preliminary Assessment." University of Toledo Law Review 26 (1994): 1-34. [with J. Baugh, T. Hensley, and S. Johnson]

"Assessing the Conservatism of the Rehnquist Court." Judicature 77 (1993): 83-89. [with T. R. Hensley]
 
"The Performance and Effectiveness of New Appointees to the Rehnquist Court." Ohio Northern University Law Review 20 (1993): 205-223. [with S. T. Read]

"Clouds in the Crystal Ball: Presidential Expectations and the Unpredictable Behavior of Supreme Court Appointees." Akron Law Review 27 (1993): 115-139. [with K. Beuger]

"Politics and Plausibility: Searching for the Truth About Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas." Ohio Northern University Law Review 19 (1993): 697-757.

"The First Term Performance of Justice Clarence Thomas." Judicature 76 (1993): 172-178.[with S. P. Johnson]

"Supreme Court Surprise: Justice Anthony Kennedy's Move Toward Moderation." Oklahoma Law Review 45 (1992): 459-476.

"Newcomer on the High Court: Justice David Souter and the Supreme Court's 1990 Term." South Dakota Law Review 37 (1992): 901-923. [with S. P. Johnson]

"Justice David Souter's First Term on the Supreme Court: The Impact of a New Justice." Judicature 75 (1992): 238-243. [with S. P. Johnson]

"The New Supreme Court and the Politics of Racial Equality." The Western Journal of Black Studies 15 (1991): 8-15.

"Vigilance or Accommodation: The Changing Supreme Court and Religious Freedom." Syracuse Law Review 42 (1991): 893-944. [with L. Fry]

"The Supreme Court in Transition: Assessing the Legitimacy of the Leading Legal Institution." Kentucky Law Journal 79 (1990-91): 317-346.

"Justice Antonin Scalia and the Institutions of American Government." Wake Forest Law Review 25 (1990): 783-809.
 
"The Supreme Court's Emerging Majority: Restraining the High Court or Transforming Its Role?." Akron Law Review 24 (1990): 393-421.

"Jurist Irritant." Akron Magazine 5 (1990): 42-44 (Fall issue).

"The Supreme Court and Ethnicity." Oregon Law Review 69 (1990): 797-845.

"'What If....': Critical Junctures on the Road to (In)Equality." Thurgood Marshall Law Review 15 (1989-90): 1-25.

"Jurisprudential Politics and the Manipulation of History." The Western Journal of Black Studies 13 (1989): 156-161.
 

C. CORRECTIONS LAW AND POST-CONVICTION REMEDIES   (return to article topics)

"Judges' Views on Habeas Corpus: A Comparison of State and Federal Judges." Accepted for publication Oklahoma City University Law Review. (forthcoming 1998) [with D.L. Burke]

"Judicial Reform of Habeas Corpus: The Advocates' Lament." Cleveland State Law Review 44 (1996): 47-65.

"Federal Habeas Corpus Reform: The State's Perspective." The Justice System Journal 18 (1995): 1-11.

"Judicial Policy Making and Habeas Corpus Reform." Criminal Justice Policy Review 7 (1995): 91-114.

"Black Muslims and the Development of Prisoners' Rights." Journal of Black Studies 24 (1993): 131-146.

"United States Magistrates and the Processing of Prisoner Litigation." Federal Probation 52 (1988): 13-18 (December issue).

"Improving the Use of Prison Law Libraries: A Modest Proposal." Law Library Journal 79 (1987): 227-240.

"Examining the Boundaries of Bounds: Prison Law Libraries and Access to the Courts." Howard Law Journal 30 (1987): 27-44.

"Legal Education in Prisons: Special Problems and Opportunities for Correctional Education." The Journal of Correctional Education 38 (1987): 132-136.

"Federal Judges' Role in Prisoner Litigation: What's Necessary? What's Proper?" Judicature 70 (1986): 144-150.

D. COURTS (return to article topics)

"The Forms of Judicial Policymaking: Civil Liability and Criminal Justice Policy." The Justice System Journal 19 (1997): 341-354. [with J. Hurst]

"The Peremptory Challenge in the Eyes of the Trial Judge." Judicature 79 (1996): 185-189. [with R. Ochoa]

"Imagery, Politics, and Jury Reform." Akron Law Review 28 (1994): 77-95.

"Judicial Lobbying and Court Reform: U.S. Magistrate Judges and the Judicial Improvements Act of 1990." University of Arkansas-Little Rock Law Journal 14 (1992): 163-198.

"From U.S. Magistrates to U.S. Magistrate Judges: Developments Affecting the Federal District Courts' Lower Tier of Judicial Officers." Judicature 75 (1992): 210-215.

REVIEW ESSAY: "Educating the Public About Courts and Law." Judicature 75 (1991): 109-113.

"Polarization and Change in the Federal Courts: En Banc Decisions in the U.S. Courts of Appeals." Judicature 74 (1990): 133-137.

"Former United States Magistrates as District Judges: The Possibilities and Consequences of Promotion Within the Federal Judiciary." Judicature 73 (1990): 268-272.

"The Development of a Judicial Office: United States Magistrates and the Struggle for Status." The Journal of the Legal Profession 14 (1989): 175-197.

"Federal Judicial Salaries: A Critical Appraisal." Temple Law Review 62 (1989): 849-873.

"Alternative Dispute Resolution: Warnings from the Ivory Tower." Akron Bar Association Examiner 30 (1989): 10-12 (November issue).

"Notes on Observational Research in the Judiciary." American Political Science Association's Law, Courts, and Judicial Process Section Newsletter 6 (Fall 1988): 1-8.

"Assessing the Consequences of Judicial Innovation: U.S. Magistrates' Trials and Related Tribulations." Wake Forest Law Review 23 (1988): 455-490.

"Merit Selection Committees and the Politics of Appointing United States Magistrates." The Justice System Journal 12 (1987): 210-231.

"Who Are the U.S. Magistrates?" Judicature 71 (1987): 143-150.

E. OTHER (return to article topics)

"The Use of Research in Local Policy Making: A Case Study of Corporal Punishment in Public Education." Educational Policy 10 (1996): 502-517.

"The Law Review Option." American Political Science Association's Law and Courts Section Newsletter 10 (1993): 1-5 (Summer issue).

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
• American Society of Criminology
• American Political Science Association
• Law & Society Association
• American Judicature Society
• Canadian Law and Society Association

• "Teacher-Scholar Award," 1997, Michigan State University, all-University faculty awards.
• Outstanding Professor Award, 1995-96 (Alpha Phi Sigma-MSU criminal justice honor society).
• Listed in Who's Who in the Midwest, 1994
• Outstanding Faculty Award, 1989-90 (presented by the University of Akron Board of Trustees).
• Outstanding Professor in the College of Arts & Sciences, 1990, University of Akron (based on campus-wide student voting sponsored by Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society).
• Phi Kappa Phi, National Academic Honor Society, 1987 (University of Connecticut chapter).
• Order of the Coif, National Legal Honor Society, 1984 (University of Tennessee chapter).
• Rotary Graduate Fellowship, University of Bristol, U.K., 1980-81.
• National Merit Scholarship, Harvard University, 1976.

 
E-mail Dr. Smith at smithc28@pilot.msu.edu