Smith The University of Guam is proud to welcome Paul M. Smith, J.D. as the 33rd speaker in the Presidential Lecture Series. The lecture will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 24, 2017, in the IT&E Lecture Hall in Jesus S. and Eugenia A. Leon Guerrero Building on the UOG Campus. The title of the lecture is “Arguing Civil Rights at the US Supreme Court."

As the Vice President for Litigation and Strategy at the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), Smith works with a team of attorneys to protect and improve democracy through innovative litigation strategies. With more than 30 years of experience—and arguing before of the U.S. Supreme Court 19 times—Smith has secured numerous victories that help advance civil liberties.

“We are honored to for Paul Smith to speak at the University of Guam,” said UOG President Robert Underwood. “It’s a rare occasion for our community to hear from someone who has such experience arguing for civil rights and liberties at our nation’s highest court—and winning.”

Among Smith’s important victories have been Lawrence v. Texas, the landmark gay rights case, and Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association which established the First Amendment rights of those who produce and sell video games. Chambers USA has repeatedly named Professor Smith one of the country’s leading lawyers in appellate litigation, media and entertainment law, and First Amendment litigation for multiple years.

About the Lecturer
Paul M. Smith, J.D. in 1976 earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Amherst College in Massachusetts. Three years later, he earned a law degree from Yale Law School. Smith is currently a Distinguished Visitor from Practice at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. and also serves as the Vice President for Litigation and Strategy at the Campaign Legal Center.

In 2010, Washingtonian magazine recognized Smith as one of "Washington's Top Lawyers.” The National Law Journal named him one of the "Decade's Most Influential Lawyers.” Best Lawyers named him the Washington D.C. First Amendment Lawyer of the Year for 2012. And he was awarded the Thurgood Marshall Award by the American Bar Association Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities for his work promoting civil rights and civil liberties.