Retired Berrien County Prosecutor and U.S. Attorney John Smietanka is being remembered as a giant in the legal profession.

The 84-year-old Smietanka passed away Tuesday. He was Berrien County Prosecutor from 1974 to 1981, and as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan from 1981 through 1994. Smietanka was nominated for a federal judgeship by President George H.W. Bush, but politics got in the way, and he later ran twice for Michigan Attorney General.

Retired Berrien County Judge Dennis Wiley knew Smietanka well, having been hired by Smietanka in the prosecutor’s office in 1981. Wiley tells us Smietanka’s long legal career had many highlights.

“ I’ve known John for many, many years, and he is truly a man of distinction,” Wiley said. “N ot on

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