Danielle Smith, Esq
Assistant Circuit Attorney (ACA)
St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office
St. Louis
Rosati-Kain High School
University of Missouri-Columbia, BA, Political Science
Saint Louis University, Juris Doctorate
Regional Director of the National Black Prosecutor’s Association
Mound City Bar Association
Crisis Nursery Young Professionals Board Chair (former)
In short, what do you do?
I am a prosecutor for the City of St. Louis under Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner. Our office is both innovative and progressive. I prosecute fraud cases and tax cases as part of the White Collar Unit. In addition, I represent local hospitals in Civil Commitment hearings to ensure our region’s citizens receive appropriate mental health care. Our office looks at each case holistically, and is leading the way on new approaches to criminal justice. I am passionate about serving our community through my position at the CAO.
What led you to a career in the legal field?
My Bachelor of Arts is in Political Science; the study of the allocation of resources and power. I wanted to understand who gets resources and how this is accomplished. There was no better way for me to fully understand the allocation of resources, than to go to law school. For African Americans, courts have played a very important role in either stripping away rights or protecting rights. I wanted to protect my community. Even today, as the United States Supreme Court considers Byron Allen v. Comcast, we are reminded that the Supreme Court’s ultimate ruling will undoubtedly affect our application of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and could have a chilling effect on this important anti-discrimination law.
You worked under a true icon in the African-American community, Margaret Bush Wilson. Can you share some of the things you learned under her, and any impressions that you still carry today?
When I passed the bar, Mrs. Bush-Wilson had a small reception for me in the conference room of her firm. As a gift, she gave me the book “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” by Doris Kearns Goodwin. On the inside page she wrote: To thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man. It’s a quote from Hamlet by Shakespeare. Mrs. Bush-Wilson wanted me to be true to myself, to stick to my own opinions and not cave to societal pressures.
St. Louis, and the country as a whole, is in a critical time of judicial reform. What are some of the many challenges to such reform, especially locally? S
St. Louis mirrors much of our country in its resistance to change. Like many other communities, we have to continue to evaluate our judicial system’s effectiveness and recommend changes where necessary. Change is uncomfortable and it’s going to be challenging to move past our mass incarceration mentality as a society.
St. Louis sometimes gets a lot of negative attention, what are some of the positive aspects that you see in St. Louis in your personal and professional life?
St. Louis is home to the Charmaine Chapman Society (CCS), United Way’s African American Leadership and the top philanthropic program for African Americans in the nation. We have a big heart. There is a big sense of community here. We have so many neighborhoods with character. With a cost of living that is lower than the national average, there really is something for everyone.
St. Louis has a thriving African American Arts Community as well. I enjoy visiting museums and learning about art at my family’s gallery (10th Street Art Gallery).
