Judge Smith was appointed to the bench in December 2020. She received her undergraduate degree from Mount Mercy University in 2000 and her Juris Doctorate from Drake University Law School in 2003. She worked as an associate attorney at Roehrick Law Firm from 2003 to 2008, an assistant public defender in the Des Moines Public Defender's Office from 2008 to 2020, and as an adjunct professor at Drake University Law School from 2017 to 2021 prior to her appointment. She is a member of the C. Edwin Inn of Court, Pretrial Screening Assessment Implementation Committee, St. Thomas More Center Advisory Board Member, and the Iowa Public Defender Association.