A Lifetime of Service
A lifelong resident of Madison County, Sarah has been a Third Judicial Circuit Associate Judge since 2015. She presides over the child support accountability court and the domestic violence accountability court, and is a member of the Third Judicial Circuit’s Family Law Division.
A Lifetime of Service
A lifelong resident of Madison County, Sarah has been a Third Judicial Circuit Associate Judge since 2015. She presides over the child support accountability court and the domestic violence accountability court, and is a member of the Third Judicial Circuit’s Family Law Division.
When her father told her that if she wanted to go to college, she’d better find a way to pay for it, she decided to enlist in the Illinois Army National Guard right out of high school. She loved serving as a light wheeled vehicle and power generator mechanic, and used the GI Bill to pay for undergraduate and law school.
When her father told her that if she wanted to go to college, she’d better find a way to pay for it, she decided to enlist in the Illinois Army National Guard right out of high school. She loved serving as a light wheeled vehicle and power generator mechanic, and used the GI Bill to pay for undergraduate and law school.
Sarah is no stranger to hard work, and her friends and family will tell you that she hasn’t stopped going at full speed since she took her first job as a newspaper carrier when she was ten. In law school, she had 3 jobs in addition to her military responsibilities.
Sarah worked at Ezra & Associates for 10 years, practicing plaintiff’s litigation. During that time she was mobilized to Louisiana for 45 days to provide support for Hurricane Katrina where she was awarded a Humanitarian Service Award. She has also worked as an Assistant State’s Attorney where she handled a variety of different cases ranging from traffic and misdemeanor to felony money laundering cases, post-convictions, and drug asset forfeitures and was the assigned prosecutor for the Madison County Veteran’s Treatment Court.
She is a Lieutenant Colonel, the highest-ranking JAG officer in the State, and was recently selected to serve as Illinois’ first Military Judge for the Illinois Army National Guard under the Illinois Code. **SARAH SMITH IS A MEMBER OF THE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD. USE OF HER MILITARY RANK, JOB TITLES, AND PHOTOGRAPHS IN UNIFORM DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT BY THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY OR DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.**
Sarah is no stranger to hard work, and her friends and family will tell you that she hasn’t stopped going at full speed since she took her first job as a newspaper carrier when she was ten. In law school, she had 3 jobs in addition to her military responsibilities.
Sarah worked at Ezra & Associates for 10 years, practicing plaintiff’s litigation. During that time she was mobilized to Louisiana for 45 days to provide support for Hurricane Katrina where she was awarded a Humanitarian Service Award. She has also worked as an Assistant State’s Attorney where she handled a variety of different cases ranging from traffic and misdemeanor to felony money laundering cases, post-convictions, and drug asset forfeitures and was the assigned prosecutor for the Madison County Veteran’s Treatment Court.
She is a Lieutenant Colonel, the highest-ranking JAG officer in the State, and was recently selected to serve as Illinois’ first Military Judge for the Illinois Army National Guard under the Illinois Code.
Military Experience and Bronze Star
In 2007, Sarah embarked on back to back deployments. Her first was to Kosovo, where she served as Chief of Operational and Administrative Law for the 35th Infantry Division. Her second was to Afghanistan, where she deployed as a Deputy Staff Judge Advocate for the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In addition to her duties as a JAG officer, she volunteered as a base firefighter and was selected to mentor the only female General in the Afghan National Army.She refused to stay behind the confines of her base and frequently went out on security foot patrols and convoy operations in order to gain an understanding of scenarios Soldiers faced on a daily basis. She planned, coordinated, and participated in dozens of Humanitarian Assistance operations in villages terrorized by the Taliban. For her exemplary service in Afghanistan she was awarded the Bronze Star.
Sarah spoke at the United Nations symposium on two occasions regarding her counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan. She was the legal advisor to the Dual Status Commander during the NATO Summit in 2012, and was invited to speak in front of various foreign dignitaries, ministries of defense and academia on her legal military experience.
Community Involvement
Personal Life
Sarah is still an active member of the Illinois Army National Guard. Her husband, Michael, is a three-time combat veteran and is employed full-time by the Illinois National Guard. They have been married eight years and have three young boys. They attend Metro Community Church in Edwardsville. Sarah graduated from Edwardsville High School in 1994, obtained a Bachelor’s in Political Science at Millikin University, and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and her Juris Doctorate at Regent University.
