Nirlaine Tallandier Smartt ’93 was sworn into service as a judge in St. Lucie County, Florida, on August 15.
Smartt, who is serving Florida’s 19th Circuit, which encompasses Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties, was appointed to the bench by Florida Governor Rick Scott on June 18. She became the 19th Circuit’s first black judge and its only minority judge.
Smartt actually began working in July as a county judge in the St. Lucie County Court Annex.
Born in Haiti, Smartt was raised from age 4 in Nyack, New York. She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science at the State University of New York-Oswego, then worked for her U.S. congressman for one year before earning her law degree at Vanderbilt. She was a prosecutor in Hillsborough County for two years and then worked for an insurance defense firm before starting a law practice with a partner. She has also worked as a pharmaceutical sales representative.