The Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference presented the annual Judge Leon Ruben Awards in recognition of outstanding service and accomplishment by General Sessions judges to Judge Daniel L. Smith of Hardin County.
The award was presented at the annual Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference in Knoxville.
The Judge Leon Ruben Award was named for Davidson County General Sessions Judge Leon Ruben, who passed away in 2011. The award is named in Judge Ruben’s honor due to his outstanding service to the General Sessions Judges Conference and in recognition of his outstanding integrity, love of the law, and his desire to seek justice. It has been awarded each year since 2013.
Judge Daniel L. Smith was elected to the Hardin County General Sessions and Juvenile Court in 1998 and was re-elected in 2006 and 2014. He has practiced criminal and civil law including social security disability in Hardin County for more than 30 years. He holds a Bachelor of Science summa cum laude in finance from University of Tennessee, 1980, and received his J.D. with honors from University of Tennessee, 1983.
He is a member of the Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, where he serves on the education committee. He is a member of the Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference, where he presently serves as chairman of the education committee and past president. He is married to Martha Slonaker Smith and has two children, Jacob and Abby.
