| Terry Smiljanich | |
|---|---|
| Counsel to the United States Senate |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 1, 1947 Tampa, Florida |
| Spouse(s) | Dorothy Weik |
| Profession | Lawyer, Writer |
Terry Smiljanich is an American lawyer.
Smiljanich was born in Tampa, Florida in 1947 to Peter and Olga Smiljanich. His father was in the Air Force and the family traveled extensively, with stays in Japan, Mississippi, Florida and Texas.[1] He attended Alamo Heights High School, Randolph High School (Texas), and graduated in 1965 from Thomas Jefferson High School (Tampa, Florida).
Smiljanich attended the University of Florida, where he met his wife Dorothy Weik in 1967 (they married in 1969). He graduated in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, and attended the University of Florida College of Law, serving as editor of the University of Florida Law Review.[2]
Smiljanich served as a law clerk to United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida judge Ben Krentzman in Tampa from 1972 to 1974. He was Assistant United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida from 1974 to 1977. While serving as a federal prosecutor, he handled organized crime cases, kidnappings, bank robberies, and environmental crimes, among other prosecutions. Smiljanich served in the United States Army Reserve from 1972 to 1981, and became a captain.[3]
Smiljanich acted as counsel to the United States Senate during the congressional hearings on the Iran-Contra affair. His responsibilities included investigations of State Department and White House personnel involved in the political scandal. He conducted the public interrogation of former United States Secretary of the Treasury and Chief of Staff Donald Regan during the televised hearings.[4]
Smiljanich is currently a partner in the law firm James, Hoyer, Newcomer & Smiljanich.[5] He is Managing Editor of the Consumer Warning Network,[6] and writes extensively for that organization.[7]
He is chairman of the Tampa Bay Skeptics,[8] a non-profit organization scientific skeptic interested in "objective and critical inquiry" of "paranormal and fringe-science claims". Tampa Bay Skeptics offers a $1,000 challenge to anyone able to prove the existence of paranormal powers under mutually agreed testing protocols, similar to the $1 million challenge offered by the James Randi Educational Foundation. He has written for the Skeptical Inquirer, a national magazine published by the Center for Inquiry.[9]
Smiljanich is a member of the Major Gifts Committee for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Florida and bequeathed $1 million to the school.[10] He is also a board member of the Advisory Council for the Department of Astronomy at the University.