Hon. Paul H. Smyth is first justice of the Pittsfield District Court in Massachusetts. He was appointed to the bench by former Governor Deval Patrick in 2014.
He initially presided as a circuit justice prior to becoming first justice of the District Court in Pittsfield.
Smyth received a B.A. from Amherst College in 1990. After completing his bachelor’s degree, he served for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. He went on to complete a J.D. at the University of Virginia School of Law in 1996.
Shortly after graduating from law school, Smyth became an assistant district attorney with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. During his tenure there, he held assignments in the West Roxbury District Court (1997 to 1999), the Domestic Violence Unit (1999 to 2001), the Superior Court (1999 to 2003), the Homicide Response Team (2000 to 2003), and the Gang Unit (2001 to 2003).
Smyth left his work there to join the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts in 2003. He first served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney assigned to the Springfield Branch Office for several years before being named chief of the Branch in 2007. He continued to serve in that capacity until his appointment to the bench in 2014.
In addition, Smyth served on the U.S. Attorney’s Civil Rights Enforcement Team, BRIDGES (Building Respect in Diverse Groups to Enhance Sensitivity), and its Hiring Committee and was a faculty member at the Department of Justice’s National Advocacy Center.
His memberships included the Hampden County Bar Association, the Federal Prosecutors Association, and the Massachusetts Bar Association.
Smyth also participated in community outreach programs such as the South Holyoke Safe Neighborhood Initiative and the Mason Square Initiative in Springfield. In addition, he was a volunteer at the Children’s Equitation Center.
He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. At the time of his appointment, Smyth resided in Ashfield.