Connected Minds,Connected Cultures:\ Connected Minds

JUDICIAL ReachOpera and Law:Two Forms of Theater“I fight with an attorney, get spit uponand hide behind a small flower potwhile advancing to the garden, as well asbringing tea, heart pills, cosmetics, coats,hats and canes,” Judge Smith summarizes.It’s all in a day’s work for the Hon. Loren Smith,senior judge, United States Court of FederalClaims.“I fight with an attorney, get spit upon and hidebehind a small flower pot while advancing to thegarden, as well as bringing tea, heart pills, cosmetics,coats, hats and canes,” he summarizes.Of course, none of the above incidents actuallyoccurred in his courtroom, or in his classroom as adistinguished lecturer at the Columbus School ofLaw. Rather, Judge Smith’s eclectic activitiesunfolded onstage, after he exchanged his robes fortheater makeup in his role as Major Domo, thefaithful servant to Don Pasquale in GaetanoDonizetti’s opera of the same name.It began with an invitation from a friend whohad the starring role, who in turn invited Smith toconsider the multi-faceted role of Major Domo. “Heassured me no singing was required, that only mycomic talents (he must have read some of my opinions)were required,” Smith recalled. The judgeagreed, believing that it was little more than a walkonpart. As it turned out, he was obliged to beonstage for every act.With more than 20 years under his belt —including a stretch as chief judge — on one of thenation’s most historic and prestigious federalcourts, Judge Smith is used to stellar performancesand rapt audiences. Normally, however, themost Oscar-worthy utterances come from thelawyers that appear before him. For the wellrespectedjudge to leap over his bench, as it were,and place himself in a position where opera fanscould judge him amounted to a heady walk on thetightrope.“As a judge you can find people who misbehavein court in contempt. On stage I was the onefacing possible contempt! A humbling experience,Swapping his judicial robes for the clothes of avalet to an Italian nobleman, Judge Loren Smiththoroughly enjoyed his turn as a character actorin community theater.34CUALAWYER /Spring–Summer 2008