Rebecca L. Aitchison was appointed as a United States Magistrate Judge for the District of Rhode Island on October 5, 2026. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Wheaton College in 2008, and a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Roger Williams University School of Law in 2011, where she served as managing editor of the law review.

Prior to her appointment to the federal bench, Judge Aitchison devoted her career to public service and indigent criminal defense. She spent seven years as a trial attorney with the Rhode Island Public Defender’s Office before joining the Federal Defender’s Office, where she served as an Assistant Federal Defender for almost eight years. She also served as an Adjunct Professor at Roger Williams University School of Law, where she taught Criminal Litigation: Written and Oral Advocacy.