Rebecca Beach Smith at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- Jurisdiction
- Virginia · Federal
- Judicial service
- October 25, 1989–present
Rebecca Beach Smith
Judge · U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
Available research
Loading public docket analytics…
Loading public docket analytics…
Biography
Professional career
- U.S. Magistrate, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, 1985-1989
- Private practice, Norfolk, VA, 1980-1985
- Law clerk, Hon. J. Calvitt Clarke, Jr., U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, 1979-1980
- Law clerk in private practice, Norfolk, VA, 1978-present
- Research associate, National Academy of Science, Institute of Medicine, Washington, D.C., 1974-1977
- Planning analyst, Enviro-Med, Inc., Washington, D.C., and La Jolla, CA, 1973-0074
Judicial service
- Judge, District Court, E.D. Virginia, 1989-present
Education
- College of William and Mary · B.A., 1971
- University of Virginia-Main Campus · M.A., 1973
- University of Virginia
Personal record
Born 1949 · Hopewell, VA
Courtroom rules and guidance
Presentation Procedure
Courtwide presentation-related guidance applies to this judge.
Evidence Presentation System . EVIDENCE PRESENTATION SYSTEMS . The Court’s evidence presentation system allows attorneys to : .Evidence Presentation System | Eastern District of Virginia | United States District Court ↗
Civil Remote Testimony
In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards.
For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location.Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court ↗
Criminal Recording And Broadcasting
Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception.
Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom.Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited ↗
Sources
Federal Judicial Center biography
Identity source · HTML · checked July 25, 2026
https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388001CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · checked August 2, 2026
https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3020/rebecca-beach-smith/Evidence Presentation System | Eastern District of Virginia | United States District Court
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 24, 2026
https://www.vaed.uscourts.gov/evidence-presentation-systemFederal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedureFederal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts