---
title: "Beth Freshwater-Smith | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/beth-freshwater-smith-nc"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# Beth Freshwater-Smith

North Carolina District Court · Judge District Court

## Profile

- Court: North Carolina District Court
- State: North Carolina
- Role: Judge District Court
- Service status: former

## Summary

Beth Freshwater-Smith — North Carolina District Court

## Sources

- [Judicial Council of Georgia Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster](https://georgiacourts.knack.com/gcd2/#directory-entries/entry-details/60355613b99b9b001bc55b19/)
- [Supreme Court of Georgia, court orders amending Uniform Trial Court Rules](https://www.gasupreme.us/rules/amendments-to-rules)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- Since January 2024, Freshwater-Smith has held the role of a Special Superior Court Judge appointed by the North Carolina General Assembly for an eight-year term
- District Court Judge (2016–2024): Elected in 2016 and reelected in 2020 for the 8th Judicial District covering Wilson, Nash, and Edgecombe counties

### Education

- Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law — J.D.

### Additional information

- Special Superior Court Judge in North Carolina, appointed in 2024 to preside over civil and criminal cases statewide, with a career spanning over 37 years in public service, including 28 years as a prosecutor and 8 years as a District Court judge
- One of seven judges appointed under a 2023 legislative change creating new special superior court judgeships
- In this role, she presides over civil and criminal cases across the entire state, replacing her previous position as District Court Judge for Wilson, Nash, and Edgecombe counties The Wilson Times.
- Committee Service: previously served on the North Carolina Courts Commission, the Governor’s Crime Commission’s Juvenile Justice Committee, and the State Advisory Board
- She has also served on the NC Innocence Inquiry Commission