United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida

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Southern District of Florida
Eleventh Circuit
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Judgeships
Posts: 18
Judges: 16
Vacancies: 2
Judges
Chief: K. Michael Moore
Active judges:
Roy Altman, Cecilia Altonaga, Beth Bloom, Aileen Cannon, Marcia Cooke, William Dimitrouleas, Darrin P. Gayles, Jose Martinez, Donald Middlebrooks, Kevin Michael Moore, Robin L. Rosenberg, Rodolfo Ruiz, Robert N. Scola Jr., Anuraag Singhal, Rodney Smith, Kathleen M. Williams

Senior judges:
James Cohn, Jose Gonzalez, Donald Graham, Paul Huck, Daniel Hurley, James King, Joan Lenard, Kenneth Marra, Federico Moreno, Patricia Seitz, Ursula Ungaro, William Zloch


The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida is one of 94 United States district courts. The district operates out of courthouses in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Fort Pierce. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit based in downtown Atlanta at the Elbert P. Tuttle Federal Courthouse.

Vacancies

See also: Current federal judicial vacancies

There are two current vacancies on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, out of the court's 18 judicial positions.

Pending nominations

There are no pending nominees for this court.


Active judges

Article III judges

Judge Appointed By Assumed Office Bachelors Law

Kevin Michael Moore

George H.W. Bush (R)

February 10, 1992 -

Florida State University, 1972

Fordham University Law, 1976

Donald Middlebrooks

Bill Clinton (D)

May 27, 1997 -

University of Florida, 1968

University of Florida Law, 1972

William Dimitrouleas

Bill Clinton (D)

May 22, 1998 -

Furman University, 1973

University of Florida College of Law, 1975

Jose Martinez

George W. Bush (R)

September 17, 2002 -

University of Miami, 1962

University of Miami School of Law, 1965

Cecilia Altonaga

George W. Bush (R)

May 7, 2003 -

Florida International University, 1983

Yale Law, 1986

Marcia Cooke

George W. Bush (R)

May 18, 2004 -

Georgetown University, 1975

Wayne State University, 1977

Kathleen M. Williams

Barack Obama (D)

August 4, 2011 -

Duke University, 1978

University of Miami Law, 1982

Robert N. Scola Jr.

Barack Obama (D)

October 20, 2011 -

Brown University, 1977

Boston College Law, 1980

Darrin P. Gayles

Barack Obama (D)

June 19, 2014 -

Howard University, 1990

George Washington University Law Center, 1993

Beth Bloom

Barack Obama (D)

June 25, 2014 -

University of Florida, 1984

University of Miami School of Law, 1988

Robin L. Rosenberg

Barack Obama (D)

July 24, 2014 -

Princeton University, 1983

Duke University School of Law, 1989

Roy Altman

Donald Trump (R)

April 9, 2019 -

Columbia University, 2004

Yale Law School, 2007

Rodolfo Ruiz

Donald Trump (R)

May 3, 2019 -

Duke University, 2002

Georgetown University Law Center, 2005

Rodney Smith

Donald Trump (R)

June 14, 2019 -

Florida A&M University, 1996

Michigan State University, 1999

Anuraag Singhal

Donald Trump (R)

December 20, 2019 -

Rice University, 1986

Wake Forest University School of Law, 1989

Aileen Cannon

Donald Trump (R)

November 13, 2020 -

Duke University, 2003

University of Michigan Law School, 2007


Active Article III judges by appointing political party

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

  • Democrat appointed: 7
  • Republican appointed: 9

Senior judges

Judge Appointed By Assumed Office Bachelors Law

James King

Richard Nixon (R)

December 20, 1992 -

University of Florida, 1949

University of Florida Law, 1953

Jose Gonzalez

Jimmy Carter (D)

November 30, 1996 -

University of Florida, 1952

University of Florida, 1957

Daniel Hurley

Bill Clinton (D)

February 24, 2009 -

St. Anselm`s College, 1964

George Washington University Law Center, 1968

Paul Huck

Bill Clinton (D)

August 31, 2010 -

University of Florida, 1962

University of Florida School of Law, 1965

Patricia Seitz

Bill Clinton (D)

November 16, 2012 -

Kansas State University, 1968

Georgetown University Law Center, 1973

Donald Graham

George H.W. Bush (R)

December 15, 2013 -

West Virginia State College, 1971

The Ohio State University, Moritz School of Law, 1974

James Cohn

George W. Bush (R)

August 5, 2016 -

University of Alabama, 1971

Samford University, Cumberland School of Law, 1974

William Zloch

Ronald Reagan (R)

January 31, 2017 -

University of Notre Dame, 1966

Notre Dame Law School, 1974

Joan Lenard

Bill Clinton (D)

July 1, 2017 -

Roger Williams University, 1973

Antioch School of Law, 1976

Kenneth Marra

George W. Bush (R)

August 1, 2017 -

State University of New York, Stony Brook, 1973

Stetson University College of Law, 1977

Federico Moreno

George H.W. Bush (R)

July 17, 2020 -

University of Notre Dame, 1974

University of Miami School of Law, 1978

Ursula Ungaro

George H.W. Bush (R)

May 2, 2021 -

University of Miami, Florida, 1973

University of Florida Law, 1975


Senior judges by appointing political party

The list below displays the number of senior judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

  • Democrat appointed: 5
  • Republican appointed: 7

Magistrate judges

Federal magistrate judges are federal judges who serve in United States district courts, but they are not appointed by the president and they do not serve life terms. Magistrate judges are assigned duties by the district judges in the district in which they serve. They may preside over most phases of federal proceedings, except for criminal felony trials. The specific duties of a magistrate judge vary from district to district, but the responsibilities always include handling matters that would otherwise be on the dockets of the district judges. Full-time magistrate judges serve for renewable terms of eight years. Some federal district courts have part-time magistrate judges, who serve for renewable terms of four years.[1]

Judge Appointed By Assumed Office Bachelors Law

Lurana S. Snow

March 10, 1986 -

Harvard Law School, 1975

John O'Sullivan

April 1, 1999 -

State University of New York, Albany, 1977

University of Miami School of Law, 1985

Edwin Torres

October 31, 2003 -

Nova University, 1988

Georgetown University Law Center, 1991

Chris McAliley

March 25, 2004 -

Tufts University, 1979

New York University Law, 1983

Jonathan Goodman

July 23, 2010 -

University of Florida

University of Miami School of Law

Alicia Otazo-Reyes

April 12, 2012 -

University of Miami

University of Miami Law

William Matthewman

July 2, 2012 -

Florida International University, 1978

University of Florida, 1983

Patrick M. Hunt

January 28, 2013 -

University of Miami School of Law, 1985

Alicia O. Valle

August 9, 2013 -

Rutgers University, 1981

Harvard Law School, 1984

Shaniek Maynard

June 26, 2017 -

Howard University, 1998

Yale University Law School, 2001

Lauren Fleischer Louis

February 24, 2018 -

Towson University, 1997

Fordham University School of Law, 2000

Bruce Reinhart

March 19, 2018 -

Princeton University, 1984

University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1987

Lisette M. Reid

January 3, 2019 -

Jacqueline Becerra

January 5, 2019 -

University of Miami, 1991

Yale University Law School, 1994

Jared Strauss

January 29, 2020 -

Harvard Law School, 2005


Former chief judges

In order to qualify for the office of chief judge in one of the federal courts, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge. A vacancy in the office of chief judge is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges.

The chief judge serves for a term of seven years or until age 70, whichever occurs first. A statutory change in the 1950s created the seven-year term. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.

Unlike the chief justice of the United States, a chief judge returns to active service after the expiration of his or her term and does not create a vacancy on the bench by the fact of his or her promotion.[2]

Former judges

For more information about the judges of the Southern District of Florida, see former federal judges of the Southern District of Florida.

Jurisdiction

Southern District of Florida counties (click for larger map)

The Southern District of Florida has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The following counties are located in the Southern District of Florida:

Caseloads

This section contains court management statistics dating back to 2010. It was last updated in April 2021. Click [show] below for more information on caseload terms and definitions.

United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida caseload stats, 2010-2019
Year Cases Filed Cases Terminated Cases Pending Number of Judgeships Vacant Judgeship Months Average Total Filings per Judgeship Trials Completed per Judgeship Median time from filing to disposition, criminal Median time from filing to disposition, civil Three-year civil cases (#) Three-year civil cases (%)
2010 11,453 11,182 6,623 18 16 636 24 5 5 65 1
2011 10,305 10,559 5,775 18 28 572 21 5 5 80 2
2012 11,187 10,991 6,884 18 18 622 26 6 5 85 2
2013 11,291 11,254 6,888 18 25 627 22 6 5 97 2
2014 11,679 11,730 6,847 18 19 649 27 6 5 113 2
2015 11,824 12,189 6,447 18 12 657 26 5 4 106 2
2016 13,110 12,446 7,071 18 17 728 28 5 4 117 2
2017 11,434 12,031 6,451 18 46 635 24 6 4 97 2
2018 13,126 12,673 6,936 18 60 729 24 5 4 92 2
2019 12,729 13,104 6,590 18 43 707 23 5 4 113 2
Average 11,814 11,816 6,651 18 28 656 25 5 4 97 2

History

The District of Florida was established by Congress on March 3, 1845, with one post to cover the entire state. On February 23, 1847, Congress divided the district into the Northern District of Florida and the Southern District of Florida with one judicial post for each district. Over time, 17 additional judicial posts were added for a total of 18 posts.[3]

Judicial posts

The following table highlights the development of judicial posts for the Southern District of Florida:[3]

Year Statute Total Seats
March 3, 1845 5 Stat. 788 1
February 23, 1847 9 Stat. 131 1
September 14, 1922 42 Stat. 837 2(Temporary)
January 17, 1929 45 Stat. 1081 3
1930 Temporary Post Expired 2
June 27, 1930 46 Stat. 820 3
May 24, 1940 54 Stat. 219 4(Temporary)
1947 Temporary Post Expired 3
August 3, 1949 63 Stat. 493 4
February 10, 1954 68 Stat. 8 5
May 19, 1961 75 Stat. 80 7
July 30, 1962 76 Stat. 247 4
March 18, 1966 80 Stat. 75 5
June 2, 1970 84 Stat. 294 7
October 20, 1978 92 Stat. 1629 12
July 10, 1984 98 Stat. 333 15
December 1, 1990 104 Stat. 5089 16
December 21, 2000 114 Stat. 2762 17
November 2, 2002 116 Stat. 1758 18

Noteworthy cases

For a searchable list of opinions, click here.

Famous cases that have been heard in the district include Bush v. Gore, United States v. Noriega (the prosecution of Manuel Noriega), González v. Reno (the Elián González case) and United States v. José Padilla (the prosecution of José Padilla).

Noteworthy events

Federal Judicial Conference recommendation (2019)

In March 2019, the Federal Judicial Conference (FJC) recommended that three judgeships be added to the district and one temporary judgeship be made permanent.[11] Based on FJC data, the district handled 721 weighted filings per judgeship from September 2017 to September 2018. Weighted filings are a specific metric used by the federal judiciary that accounts for the different amounts of time judges require to resolve types of civil and criminal cases. The national average in that period for weighted filings per judgeship was 513.[12]

The FJC is the policy-making body for the United States federal courts system. It was first organized as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges in 1922.[13] The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States serves as chair of the conference. The members of the conference are the chief judge of each judicial circuit, the Chief Judge of the Court of International Trade, and a district judge from each regional judicial circuit.[14]

Federal courthouse

Seven separate courthouses serve the Southern District of Florida:[15]

  • C. Clyde Atkins U.S. Courthouse in Miami
  • James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building in Miami
  • Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami
  • U.S. Federal Building and Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale
  • Paul G. Rogers Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in West Palm Beach
  • Alto Lee Adams, Sr. U.S. Courthouse in Fort Pierce
  • Sidney M. Aronovitz U.S. Courthouse in Key West

About United States District Courts

The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. There are 94 such courts. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of both law and equity.

There is a United States bankruptcy court and a number of bankruptcy judges associated with each United States district court. Each federal judicial district has at least one courthouse, and most districts have more than one.

There is at least one judicial district for each state, and one each for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. District courts in three insular areas—the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands—exercise the same jurisdiction as U.S. district courts. Despite their name, these courts are technically not District Courts of the United States. Judges on these territorial courts do not enjoy the protections of Article III of the Constitution, and serve terms of 10 years rather than for life.

There are currently 677 U.S. District Court judgeships.[16][17]

The number of federal district judge positions is set by the U.S. Congress in Title 28 of the U.S. Code, Section 133, which authorizes a set number of judge positions, or judgeships, making changes and adjustments in these numbers from time to time.

In order to relieve the pressure of trying the hundreds of thousands of cases brought before the federal district courts each year, many trials are tried by juries, along with a presiding judge.[18]

Appointments by president

The chart below shows the number of district court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through December 1 of the first year of each president's term in office. At this point in the term, President Clinton made the most district court appointments with 24. President Reagan made 23, the second most for the presidents under study for this period. President Trump had appointed the fewest with six.


Judges by district

See also: Judicial vacancies in federal courts

The table below displays the number of judges in each district and indicates how many were appointed by presidents from each major political party. It also includes the number of vacancies in a district and how many pending nominations for that district are before the United States Senate. The table can be sorted by clicking the column headers above the line, and you can navigate through the pages by clicking the arrows at the top of the table. It is updated every Monday.


Judicial selection

The district courts are served by Article III federal judges who are appointed for life during "good behavior." They are usually first recommended by senators (or members of the House, occasionally). The President of the United States makes the appointments, which must then be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance with Article III of the United States Constitution.[17]

Step ApprovedA Candidacy Proceeds DefeatedA Candidacy Halts
1. Recommendation made by Congress Member to the President President Nominates to Senate Judiciary Committee President Declines Nomination
2. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews Candidate Sends candidate to Senate for confirmation Returns candidate to President, who may re-nominate to Committee
3. Senate votes on candidate confirmation Candidate becomes federal judge Candidate does not receive judgeship

Magistrate judges

The district courts are also served by magistrate judges. Congress created the judicial office of federal magistrate in 1968. In 1990, the position title was changed to magistrate judge. The chief judge of each district appoints one or more magistrate judges, who discharge many of the ancillary duties of district judges so judges can handle more trials. There are both full-time and part-time magistrate judge positions, and these positions are assigned to the district courts according to caseload criteria (subject to funding by Congress). A full-time magistrate judge serves a term of eight years; a part-time magistrate judge's term of office is four years.[19]


External links

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ U.S. District Court - NH, "Magistrate Judges," archived April 14, 2014
  2. ↑ United States Courts, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed April 23, 2021
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Federal Judicial Center, "The U.S. District Courts and the Federal Judiciary," accessed April 26, 2021
  4. ↑ New York Times, "State Worker Drug Tests Struck Down in Florida," April 26, 2012
  5. ↑ New York Times, "U.S. Is Said to Consider Easing Informant’s Term," January 3, 2010
  6. ↑ New York Times, "Judge Refuses to Delay Prison for UBS Informant," January 4, 2010
  7. ↑ South Florida Business Journal, "Suit against ex-BankUnited leaders dismissed," March 31, 2010
  8. ↑ Washington Post, "5 Miami Men Convicted of Attempting to bomb Sears Tower," May 12, 2009
  9. ↑ New York Times, "Florida: Sentencing in Tower Plot," November 20, 2009
  10. ↑ Newsday, "Fla. court hears alleged tainted legal fees case," Sept. 23, 2009
  11. ↑ Federal Judicial Conference, "March 2019 Recommendations," accessed April 26, 2021
  12. ↑ US Courts, "Table X-1A—Other Judicial Business (September 30, 2018)," accessed April 23, 2021
  13. ↑ US Courts, "Governance & the Judicial Conference," accessed April 23, 2021
  14. ↑ US Courts, "About the Judicial Conference," accessed April 21, 2021
  15. ↑ United States District Court Southern District of Florida, "Court Locations," accessed May 6, 2021
  16. ↑ US Courts, "Federal Judgeships," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived)
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 U.S. Courts, "United States District Court Federal Judiciary Frequently Asked Questions," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived)
  18. ↑ United States District Courts, "District Courts," accessed May 10, 2021
  19. ↑ The 'Lectric Law Library, "Understanding the U.S. federal courts"
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