ACB’s Bankruptcy History Committee’s mission is to help preserve the history of bankruptcy and insolvency practice in the United States. Several of our Fellows have created oral histories, which are archived at the Biddle Library at the University of Pennsylvania. Hon. Laurel M. Isicoff (U. S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Florida) recently interviewed Hon. Erithe A. Smith.

Judge Smith is a retired United States Bankruptcy Judge of the Central District of California and the current Co-Chair of the College's Standing Committee on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion. In this three-part oral history interview, Judge Smith shares memories from her childhood in South Central Los Angeles, and her experiences at college, law school, and the United States Bankruptcy Court's Ninth Circuit. Part one details Judge Smith's early family life and relationships, her academic career, and other formative educational experiences that led her to a career in law. In part two, Judge Smith further describes her experiences adjusting to law school, her early clerkships, and her experiences as one of the only Black women practitioners of bankruptcy law in Orange County, California during the 1980s and 1990s. In part three, Judge Smith recounts her appointment process to the Ninth Circuit, followed by her description of memorable cases, her role in judicial education, her personal interests, and her experience as a Black woman serving as a bankruptcy judge of the Ninth Circuit.