Rebecca Beach Smith

Rebecca Beach Smith (born 1949) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and a civic leader. Among her many decisions is the 2011 ruling that decided the title to and restrictions upon artifacts salvaged from the wreck of the . Early life, education Smith was born in Hopewell, Virginia. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of William & Mary in 1971, and then received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Virginia in 1973. After she worked as a planning analyst for Enviro-Med, Inc. (1973-1974) and research associate at the National Academy of Sciences (1974-1977), Smith attended law school and received her Juris Doctor from William & Mary Law School in 1979. She was executive editor of the William and Mary Law Review, graduated first in her law school class and was awarded membership in the Order of the Coif. In 1997, Judge Smith received The College of William and Mary Alumni Medallion, the highest award the William and Mary Alumni Association can bestow on a graduate of the College of William and Mary. Professional career