 By this time, Smith had established himself as one of the leading experts on campaign finance in the United States, with his writings on campaign finance and election issues having appeared in noted academic publications in addition to the "Yale Law Journal", including the "University of Pennsylvania Law Review" and the "Harvard Journal of Legislation".The Brennan Center for Justice, a harsh critic of Smith's work, nevertheless recognized him as "the most sought after witness" to make the case for deregulation of campaign finance before congressional committees.Because of his contrarian, deregulatory views on campaign finance, there was a strong objection to his nomination from reform advocates.