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Rebecca Smith (Virginia)
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2019 - Present
6
Rebecca Beach Smith is a federal judge on senior status on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. She joined the court in 1989 after being nominated by President George H.W. Bush (R). She assumed senior status on August 1, 2019. Smith was chief judge of the court from 2011 to 2018.
Smith was succeeded by Roderick Young. Young was nominated by President Donald Trump (R) and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2020.
Early life and education
A native of Hopewell, Virginia, Smith graduated from the College of William and Mary with her bachelor's degree in 1971 and from the University of Virginia with her master's degree in 1973. She graduated from the College of William and Mary School of Law with her J.D. in 1979.[1]
Professional career
- 1989-Present: Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- 2019-Present: Senior judge
- 2011-2018: Chief judge
- 1985-1989: Federal magistrate judge, Eastern District of Virginia
- 1980-1985: Private practice, Norfolk, Va.
- 1979-1980: Law clerk, Hon. J. Calvitt Clarke, Jr., Eastern District of Virginia
- 1978: Law clerk in private practice, Virginia
- 1974-1977: Research associate, National Academy of Science, Washington, D.C.
- 1973-1974: Planning analyst, Enviro-Med, Washington, D.C. and LaJolla, Calif.[1]
Judicial career
Eastern District of Virginia
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Rebecca Beach Smith |
| Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 81 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: August 4, 1989
|
| ABA Rating: Unanimously Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: |
| Hearing: September 26, 1989
|
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: October 18, 1989
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| Confirmed: October 24, 1989
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| Vote: Unanimous consent
|
Smith was nominated by President George H.W. Bush (R) on August 4, 1989, to a seat vacated by David Warriner. The American Bar Association rated Smith Unanimously Qualified for the nomination. Hearings on Smith's nomination were held before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 26, 1989, and her nomination was reported by then-U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) on October 18, 1989. Smith was confirmed by the unanimous consent of the U.S. Senate on October 24, 1989, and she received her commission the next day. She assumed senior status on August 1, 2019. Smith served as the chief judge of the district court from 2011 to 2018.[1][2][3] Smith was succeeded by Roderick Young. Young was nominated by President Donald Trump (R) and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2020.
Magistrate, Eastern District of Virginia
Smith served as a federal magistrate judge from 1985-1989.[1]
Noteworthy cases
Racial bias case against Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office dismissed (2014)
- See also: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (Lee v. Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office, et al, 2:13-cv-00109-RBS-TEM)
- See also: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (Lee v. Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office, et al, 2:13-cv-00109-RBS-TEM)
On April 14, 2014, Judge Smith dismissed a discrimination case filed by former Captain Cassandra Lee against the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office, as well as Sheriff Ken Stolle among others. In the underlying case, Lee, the first black female captain, alleged that she was treated unfairly by her supervisors, and filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission before filing suit, pro se, in the Eastern District of Virginia. Lee requested $10 million in damages from the defendants.[4] In her ruling, Judge Smith noted that Lee failed to establish a prima facie case of discrimination, and "offer[ed] no proof, other than her personal beliefs, which the court may consider to prove that she was the victim of discrimination." Smith also found that Lee failed to prove she had either experienced a hostile work environment or been retaliated against by her superiors.[4] Lee claimed she would appeal Smith's decision.[4]
See also
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Federal Judicial Center, "Biography of Judge Rebecca Beach Smith," accessed May 15, 2017
- ↑ United States Congress, "PN 636 — Rebecca Beach Smith — The Judiciary," accessed May 15, 2017
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees, 101st Congress," accessed May 15, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Virginia-Pilot, "Judge dismisses racial bias suit against Beach sheriff," April 23, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: David Warriner |
Eastern District of Virginia 1989–2019 Seat #1 |
Succeeded by: Roderick Young
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| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 |
Barksdale • Bonner • Buckwalter • Cyr • Fernandez • Garbis • Harmon • Lee • Lindberg • Lodge • Nelson • Nottingham • Plager • Rosen • Rymer • Smith • Spatt • Thomas • VanBebber • J. Walker • V. Walker • Wiener • Wright | ||
| 1990 |
Alito • Amon • Birch • Boudin • Cleland • Clevenger • Dubina • Hamilton • Henderson • Hood • Hornby • Jones • Kent • Levi • Loken • Lourie • Martin • McBryde • McClure • McKenna • McLaughlin • McNamee • Moreno • Mullen • Nelson • Nickerson • Niemeyer • Norton • Parker • Pickering • Rader • Rainey • Randolph • Shanstrom • Shedd • Shubb • Singleton • Skretny • Souter • Sparr • Stahl • Stamp • Suhrheinrich • Taylor • Vollmer • Ware • Wilson | ||
| 1991 |
Albritton • Andersen • Armstrong • Arnold • Bartle • Bassler • Batchelder • Beckwith • Belot • Benson • Blackburn • Bramlette • Brody • Brody • Burrell • Carnes • Caulfield • Cauthron • Clement • Collier • Conway • Cooper • Dalzell • DeMent • DeMoss • Doherty • Echols • Edmunds • Faber • Freeh • Gaitan • Garza • Graham • Haik • Hamilton • Hansen • Hendren • Herlong • Highsmith • Hogan • Huff • Hurley • Irenas • Johnson • Joyner • Kelly • Kleinfeld • Legg • Leonard • Lewis • Longstaff • Lungstrum • Luttig • Matia • McCalla • McDade • McKeague • McKelvie • Means • Merryday • Moore • Morgan • Nielsen • Nimmons • Osteen Sr. • Padova • Payne • Reinhard • Robinson • Robreno • Roll • Roth • Schlesinger • Scullin • Siler • Solis • Sotomayor • Sparks • Stohr • Thomas • Traxler • Trimble • Ungaro • Van Sickle • Wanger • Werlein • Whyte • Yohn | ||
| 1992 |
Baird • Barbadoro • Black • Boudin • Carnes • Covello • DiClerico • Gilbert • Gonzalez • Gorton • Hansen • Heyburn • Jackson • Jacobs • Keeley • Kendall • Kopf • Kyle • Lewis • McAuliffe • McLaughlin • Melloy • Preska • Quist • Randa • Rosenthal • Rovner • Schall • Sedwick • Simandle • Stahl • Vratil • Williams | ||
