Pr. George’s Woman and Presidential Appointee Sworn In at New Post

Glenn F. Ivey, state’s attorney for Prince George’s County, recently announced the appointment and confirmation of Prince George’s County Deputy State’s Attorney J. Patricia Wilson Smoot as a commissioner of the United States Parole Commission at the U.S. Department of Justice. Smoot was sworn into office by U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder on Nov. 1, in the Office of the Attorney General for the United States.

“Patricia Smoot was a tremendous asset to my office. Her contributions in and out of the courtroom will have an enduring impact not only in the State’s Attorney’s Office but also in the legal community in Prince George’s County and throughout the state of Maryland. As part of the US Parole Commission, she will be firm, fair and consistent in the pursuit of justice,” said Ivey in a statement. “I commend President Obama in his choice of J. Patricia Wilson Smoot for Commissioner of the US Parole Commission and congratulate her in joining this historic administration.”

Smoot is a former deputy state’s attorney for Prince George’s County, which has one of the largest prosecutor’s offices in the state of Maryland. She was appointed to the position by Ivey in 2002 and oversaw the Sex Offense and Child Abuse Unit, the Domestic Violence Unit, the Juvenile Division and the District Court Division. From 1994 to 2002, she was an assistant U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia.

Because of her work in and outside of the office, Smoot was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by the Daily Record in 2008. She has served on a number of boards and committees including the National Black Prosecutors Association, Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Abuse, Prince George’s County Criminal Coordination Council and the Prince George’s County Domestic Fatality Review Team. In early 2010, Maryland Gov. Martin O’ Malley appointed her to the Sex Offender Advisory Board. Smoot holds a bachelor’s degree in English and sociology with a concentration in legal studies from Bucknell University and a juris doctorate from Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America.