Notable Opinions
- He wrote a plurality opinion in Pataki v. Silver, upholding the Governor's power over the state budget.
- He wrote a dissent in People v. LaValle, in which the majority ruled that the death penalty was unconstitutional.
- On July 6, 2006, Smith wrote the main opinion in Hernandez v. Robles, a 4-2 decision, declaring that same-sex marriage in New York was not constitutionally required, and was to be left to the legislature. Chief Judge Judith Kaye wrote the dissent.
- On October 23, 2007, in People v. Taylor, he chose to side with the majority in upholding People v. LaValle, on the grounds of stare decisis.
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Famous quotes containing the words notable and/or opinions:
“a notable prince that was called King John;
And he ruled England with main and with might,
For he did great wrong, and maintained little right.”
—Unknown. King John and the Abbot of Canterbury (l. 2–4)
“There is much to be said in favour of modern journalism. By giving us the opinions of the uneducated, it keeps us in touch with the ignorance of the community. By carefully chronicling the current events of contemporary life, it shows us of what very little importance such events really are. By invariably discussing the unnecessary, it makes us understand what things are requisite for culture, and what are not.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)