The Michigan House adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution 6 on Tuesday, a memorial resolution honoring the life and public service of Virgil Clark Smith, a former member of both the Michigan House and Senate and a longtime judge in Wayne County.

Representative McKinney spoke on the floor about Smith’s decades of public service, saying Smith “embodied what it means to be a true public servant” and noting he served in this chamber beginning in 1977 and later became the first African American Senate minority floor leader and the first African American chief circuit court judge in Michigan.

The House unanimously adopted the concurrent resolution during a floor ceremony; members rose for the reading and several of Smith’s family members were recognized from the gallery. The clerk read the resolution as a memorial offered by the Senate, and the House then invited family members to the floor seating.

The memorial is ceremonial and does not create legal obligations; it serves as an official tribute from the legislature recognizing Smith’s record in elected and judicial office.