# United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida (in case citations, S.D. Fla. or S.D. Fl.) is the federal United States district court with territorial jurisdiction over the southern part of the state of Florida.
Appeals from cases brought in the Southern District of Florida are to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

## History

On the same day that Florida was admitted as a state, March 3, 1845, Congress enacted legislation creating the United States District Court for the District of Florida, 5 Stat. 788. On February 23, 1847, this District was subdivided into Northern and Southern Districts, by 9 Stat. 131. The statute effecting this division set forth the boundaries of the Districts:
    [T]hat part of the State of Florida lying south of a line drawn due east and west from the northern point of Charlotte Harbor, including the islands, keys, reefs, shoals, harbors, bays and inlets, south of said line, shall be erected into a new judicial district, to be called the Southern District of Florida; a District Court shall be held in said Southern District, to consist of one judge, who shall reside at Key West, in said district...
On July 30, 1962, the Middle District was created from portions of these districts by 76 Stat. 247.
This federal district has the dubious distinction of having had more judges removed through impeachment than any other district, with a total of two, one fourth of all federal judges so removed.
Famous cases heard in the district include the prosecution of former Panamanian military leader Manuel Noriega, the Elián González case, notorious Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein, a 2000 United States presidential election recount in Florida case, the prosecution of José Padilla, and one of the federal prosecutions of Donald Trump.

## Jurisdiction

The court's jurisdiction comprises the nine counties of Broward, Highlands, Indian River, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, and St. Lucie. The district includes the South Florida metropolitan area of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. It comprises 15,197 square miles (39,360 km$^2$) and approximately 6.3 million people. Courthouses, corresponding to the five divisions of the district, are located in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Pierce, Key West, Miami, and West Palm Beach. The court's offices are located in Miami.

## United States attorney and marshal

The United States attorney for the Southern District of Florida represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of January 17, 2025, the acting United States attorney is Hayden P. O'Byrne.
The United States Attorney's office has a staff of approximately 233 assistant United States attorneys and 227 support personnel. The main office is located in Miami, Florida, with three staffed branch offices located in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Fort Pierce and one unstaffed branch office located in Key West. There is also a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) office in West Miami-Dade and a Health Care Fraud Facility in Miramar.
On August 28, 2018, Gadyaces S. Serralta was confirmed by the United States Senate to be the United States marshal.

## Organization of the court

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida is one of three federal judicial districts in Florida. The District has five divisions:
Fort Pierce Division comprises the following counties: Highlands, Okeechobee, Indian River, St. Lucie, and Martin.
West Palm Beach Division comprises Palm Beach County.
Fort Lauderdale Division comprises Broward County.
Miami Division comprises Miami-Dade County.
Key West Division comprises Monroe County.

## Current judges

As of July 20, 2024:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Term of service | Term of service | Appointed by |
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Active | Chief | Senior | Appointed by |
| 58 | Chief Judge | Cecilia Altonaga | Miami | 1962 | 2003–present | 2021–present | — | G.W. Bush |
| 45 | District Judge | K. Michael Moore | Miami | 1951 | 1992–present | 2014–2021 | — | G.H.W. Bush |
| 50 | District Judge | Donald M. Middlebrooks | West Palm Beach | 1946 | 1997–present | — | — | Clinton |
| 52 | District Judge | William Dimitrouleas | Ft. Lauderdale | 1951 | 1998–present | — | — | Clinton |
| 57 | District Judge | Jose E. Martinez | Miami | 1941 | 2002–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
| 61 | District Judge | Kathleen M. Williams | Miami | 1956 | 2011–present | — | — | Obama |
| 64 | District Judge | Darrin P. Gayles | Miami | 1966 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
| 65 | District Judge | Beth Bloom | Miami | 1962 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
| 66 | District Judge | Robin L. Rosenberg | West Palm Beach | 1962 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
| 67 | District Judge | Roy Altman | Miami | 1982 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
| 68 | District Judge | Rodolfo Ruiz | Miami | 1979 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
| 69 | District Judge | Rodney Smith | Ft. Lauderdale | 1974 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
| 70 | District Judge | Raag Singhal | Ft. Lauderdale | 1963 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
| 71 | District Judge | Aileen Cannon | Ft. Pierce | 1981 | 2020–present | — | — | Trump |
| 72 | District Judge | Jacqueline Becerra | Miami | 1970 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 73 | District Judge | David S. Leibowitz | Ft. Lauderdale | 1971 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 74 | District Judge | Melissa Damian | Ft. Lauderdale | 1968 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 75 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | Senior Judge | James Lawrence King | Miami | 1927 | 1970–1992 | 1984–1991 | 1992–present | Nixon |
| 31 | Senior Judge | Jose Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. | Ft. Lauderdale | 1931 | 1978–1996 | — | 1996–present | Carter |
| 40 | Senior Judge | William J. Zloch | Ft. Lauderdale | 1944 | 1985–2017 | 2000–2007 | 2017–present | Reagan |
| 42 | Senior Judge | Federico A. Moreno | Miami | 1952 | 1990–2020 | 2007–2014 | 2020–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 43 | Senior Judge | Donald L. Graham | Miami | 1948 | 1991–2013 | — | 2013–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 48 | Senior Judge | Daniel T. K. Hurley | West Palm Beach | 1943 | 1994–2009 | — | 2009–present | Clinton |
| 49 | Senior Judge | Joan A. Lenard | Miami | 1952 | 1995–2017 | — | 2017–present | Clinton |
| 51 | Senior Judge | Alan Stephen Gold | inactive | 1944 | 1997–2010 | — | 2010–present | Clinton |
| 53 | Senior Judge | Patricia A. Seitz | Miami | 1946 | 1998–2012 | — | 2012–present | Clinton |
| 55 | Senior Judge | Paul Huck | Miami | 1940 | 2000–2010 | — | 2010–present | Clinton |
| 56 | Senior Judge | Kenneth Marra | West Palm Beach | 1951 | 2002–2017 | — | 2017–present | G.W. Bush |
| 59 | Senior Judge | James I. Cohn | Ft. Lauderdale | 1948 | 2003–2016 | — | 2016–present | G.W. Bush |
| 62 | Senior Judge | Robert N. Scola Jr. | Miami | 1955 | 2011–2023 | — | 2023–present | Obama |

## Vacancies and pending nominations

| Seat | Prior judge's duty station | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
| 8 | Miami | Robert N. Scola Jr. | Senior status | October 31, 2023 | — | — |

## Former judges

| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
| 1 | William Marvin | FL | 1808–1902 | 1847–1863 | — | — | Polk | resignation |
| 2 | Thomas Jefferson Boynton | FL | 1838–1871 | 1863–1870 | — | — | Lincoln | resignation |
| 3 | John McKinney | FL | 1829–1871 | 1870–1871 | — | — | Grant | death |
| 4 | James William Locke | FL | 1837–1922 | 1872–1912 | — | — | Grant | retirement |
| 5 | John Moses Cheney | FL | 1859–1922 | 1912–1913 | — | — | Taft | not confirmed |
| 6 | Rhydon Mays Call | FL | 1858–1927 | 1913–1927 | — | — | Wilson | death |
| 7 | Lake Jones | FL | 1867–1930 | 1924–1930 | — | — | Coolidge | death |
| 8 | Alexander Akerman | FL | 1869–1948 | 1929–1939 | — | 1939–1948 | Coolidge | death |
| 9 | Halsted L. Ritter | FL | 1868–1951 | 1929–1936 | — | — | Coolidge | impeachment and conviction |
| 10 | Louie Willard Strum | FL | 1890–1954 | 1931–1950 | 1948–1950 | — | Hoover | elevation to 5th Cir. |
| 11 | John W. Holland | FL | 1883–1969 | 1936–1955 | 1950–1955 | 1955–1969 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 12 | William J. Barker | FL | 1886–1968 | 1940–1959 | 1955–1959 | 1959–1968 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 13 | Curtis L. Waller | FL | 1887–1950 | 1940–1943 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | elevation to 5th Cir. |
| 14 | Dozier A. DeVane | FL | 1883–1963 | 1943–1958 | — | 1958–1963 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 15 | George William Whitehurst | FL | 1891–1974 | 1950–1961 | 1959–1961 | 1961–1974 | Truman | death |
| 16 | John Milton Bryan Simpson | FL | 1903–1987 | 1950–1962 | 1961–1962 | — | Truman | reassignment to M.D. Fla |
| 17 | Emett Clay Choate | FL | 1891–1974 | 1954–1965 | — | 1965–1974 | Eisenhower | death |
| 18 | Joseph Patrick Lieb | FL | 1901–1971 | 1955–1962 | — | — | Eisenhower | reassignment to M.D. Fla |
| 18 | William McRae | FL | 1909–1973 | 1961–1962 | — | — | Kennedy | reassignment to M.D. Fla |
| 19 | David W. Dyer | FL | 1910–1998 | 1961–1966 | 1962–1966 | — | Kennedy | elevation to 5th Cir. |
| 20 | George C. Young | FL | 1916–2015 | 1961–1966 | — | — | Kennedy | reassignment to M.D. Fla |
| 21 | Charles B. Fulton | FL | 1910–1996 | 1963–1978 | 1966–1977 | 1978–1996 | Kennedy | death |
| 22 | William O. Mehrtens | FL | 1905–1980 | 1965–1975 | — | 1975–1980 | L. Johnson | death |
| 23 | C. Clyde Atkins | FL | 1914–1999 | 1966–1982 | 1977–1982 | 1982–1999 | L. Johnson | death |
| 24 | Ted Cabot | FL | 1917–1971 | 1966–1971 | — | — | L. Johnson | death |
| 25 | Joe Oscar Eaton | FL | 1920–2008 | 1967–1985 | 1982–1984 | 1985–2008 | L. Johnson | death |
| 26 | Peter T. Fay | FL | 1929–2021 | 1970–1976 | — | — | Nixon | elevation to 5th Cir. |
| 28 | Norman Charles Roettger Jr. | FL | 1930–2003 | 1972–1997 | 1991–1997 | 1997–2003 | Nixon | death |
| 29 | Sidney Aronovitz | FL | 1920–1997 | 1976–1988 | — | 1988–1997 | Ford | death |
| 30 | William Hoeveler | FL | 1922–2017 | 1977–1991 | — | 1991–2017 | Carter | death |
| 32 | Edward B. Davis | FL | 1933–2010 | 1979–2000 | 1997–2000 | — | Carter | retirement |
| 33 | James W. Kehoe | FL | 1925–1998 | 1979–1992 | — | 1992–1998 | Carter | death |
| 34 | James Carriger Paine | FL | 1924–2010 | 1979–1992 | — | 1992–2010 | Carter | death |
| 35 | Eugene P. Spellman | FL | 1930–1991 | 1979–1991 | — | — | Carter | death |
| 36 | Alcee Hastings | FL | 1936–2021 | 1979–1989 | — | — | Carter | impeachment and conviction |
| 37 | Lenore Carrero Nesbitt | FL | 1932–2001 | 1983–1998 | — | 1998–2001 | Reagan | death |
| 38 | Stanley Marcus | FL | 1946–present | 1985–1997 | — | — | Reagan | elevation to 11th Cir. |
| 39 | Thomas Scott | FL | 1948–present | 1985–1990 | — | — | Reagan | resignation |
| 41 | Kenneth Ryskamp | FL | 1932–2017 | 1986–2000 | — | 2000–2017 | Reagan | death |
| 44 | Shelby Highsmith | FL | 1929–2015 | 1991–2002 | — | 2002–2015 | G.H.W. Bush | death |
| 46 | Ursula Mancusi Ungaro | FL | 1951–present | 1992–2021 | — | 2021 | G.H.W. Bush | retirement |
| 47 | Wilkie D. Ferguson | FL | 1938–2003 | 1993–2003 | — | — | Clinton | death |
| 54 | Adalberto Jordan | FL | 1961–present | 1999–2012 | — | — | Clinton | elevation to 11th Cir. |
| 60 | Marcia G. Cooke | FL | 1954–2023 | 2004–2022 | — | 2022–2023 | G.W. Bush | death |
| 63 | Robin S. Rosenbaum | FL | 1966–present | 2012–2014 | — | — | Obama | elevation to 11th Cir. |
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 5, 1864, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 20, 1864, and received commission the same day.
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 7, 1870, confirmed by the Senate on February 18, 1871, and received commission the same day.
* ↑ Recess appointment; the Senate did not confirm the appointment.
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on April 12, 1913, confirmed by the Senate on April 24, 1913, and received commission the same day.
* 1 2 Jointly appointed to the Northern and Southern Districts of Florida.
* ↑ From 1943-1947, Judge DeVane was jointly appointed to the Northern and Southern Districts of Florida.
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 12, 1956, confirmed by the Senate on March 1, 1956, and received commission the same day.
* ↑ From 1961-1962, Judge Young was jointly appointed to the Northern and Southern Districts of Florida. From 1962-1966, Judge Young was jointly appointed to the Middle, Northern, and Southern Districts of Florida.

## Chief judges

Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, 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 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. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.

## Succession of seats

Seat 1 :
| Seat established on February 23, 1847 by 9 Stat. 131 ||
| Marvin | 1847–1863 |
| Boynton | 1864–1870 |
| McKinney | 1870–1871 |
| Locke | 1872–1912 |
| Cheney | 1912–1913 |
| Call | 1913–1927 |
| Ritter | 1929–1936 |
| Holland | 1936–1955 |
| Lieb | 1955–1962 |
| Seat reassigned to the Middle District of Florida on October 29, 1962 by 76 Stat. 247 ||
Seat 2 :
| Seat established on September 14, 1922 by 42 Stat. 837 (temporary) ||
| Jones | 1924–1930 |
| Seat abolished on June 7, 1930 (temporary judgeship expired) ||
Seat 3 :
| Seat established on January 17, 1929 by 45 Stat. 1081 ||
| Akerman | 1929–1939 |
| Barker | 1940–1959 |
| McRae, Jr. | 1961–1962 |
| Seat reassigned to the Middle District of Florida on October 29, 1962 by 76 Stat. 247 ||
Seat 4 :
| Seat established on June 27, 1930 by 46 Stat. 820 ||
| Strum | 1931–1950 |
| Simpson | 1950–1962 |
| Seat reassigned to the Middle District of Florida on October 29, 1962 by 76 Stat. 247 ||
Seat 5 :
| Seat established on May 24, 1940 by 54 Stat. 219 (temporary, concurrent with Northern District) ||
| Waller | 1940–1943 |
| DeVane | 1943–1947 |
| Seat reassigned solely to Northern District and made permanent on October 1, 1947 pursuant to 54 Stat. 219 ||
Seat 6 :
| Seat established on August 3, 1949 by 63 Stat. 493 (concurrent with Northern District) ||
| Whitehurst | 1950–1961 |
| Seat assigned concurrently to the Middle District on July 30, 1962 pursuant to 76 Stat. 247 ||
| Young | 1961–1966 |
| Seat reassigned solely to the Middle District on September 17, 1966 pursuant to 80 Stat. 75 ||
Seat 7 :
| Seat established on February 10, 1954 by 68 Stat. 8 ||||
| Choate | 1954–1965 |
| Mehrtens | 1965–1975 |
| Aronovitz | 1976–1988 |
| Graham | 1991–2013 |
| Bloom | 2014–present |
Seat 8 :
| Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80 ||||
| Dyer | 1961–1966 |
| Eaton | 1967–1985 |
| Ryskamp | 1986–2000 |
| Huck | 2000–2010 |
| Scola Jr. | 2011–2023 |
| vacant | 2023–present |
Seat 9 :
| Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80 ||||
| Fulton | 1963–1978 |
| Gonzalez, Jr. | 1978–1996 |
| Gold | 1997–2011 |
| Rosenbaum | 2012–2014 |
| Smith | 2019–present |
Seat 10 :
| Seat established on March 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 ||||
| Atkins | 1966–1982 |
| Nesbitt | 1983–1998 |
| Jordan | 1999–2012 |
| Rosenberg | 2014–present |
Seat 11 :
| Seat established on March 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 ||||
| Cabot | 1966–1971 |
| Roettger, Jr. | 1972–1997 |
| Dimitrouleas | 1998–present |
Seat 12 :
| Seat established on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294 ||||
| Fay | 1970–1976 |
| Hoeveler | 1977–1991 |
| Ferguson, Jr. | 1993–2003 |
| Cooke | 2004–2022 |
| Becerra | 2024–present |
Seat 13 :
| Seat established on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294 ||||
| King | 1970–1992 |
| Lenard | 1995–2017 |
| Altman | 2019–present |
Seat 14 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Paine | 1979–1992 |
| Hurley | 1994–2009 |
| Williams | 2011–present |
Seat 15 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Kehoe | 1979–1992 |
| Middlebrooks | 1997–present |
Seat 16 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Spellman | 1979–1991 |
| Moore | 1992–present |
Seat 17 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Davis | 1979–2000 |
| Martinez | 2002–present |
Seat 18 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Hastings | 1979–1989 |
| Moreno | 1990–2020 |
| Leibowitz | 2024–present |
Seat 19 :
| Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 ||||
| Marcus | 1985–1997 |
| Seitz | 1998–2012 |
| Gayles | 2014–present |
Seat 20 :
| Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 ||||
| Scott, Jr. | 1985–1990 |
| Highsmith | 1991–2002 |
| Altonaga | 2003–present |
Seat 21 :
| Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 ||||
| Zloch | 1985–2017 |
| Ruiz | 2019–present |
Seat 22 :
| Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 ||||
| Ungaro | 1992–2021 |
| Damian | 2024–present |
Seat 23 :
| Seat established on December 21, 2000 by 114 Stat. 2762 ||||
| Marra | 2002–2017 |
| Cannon | 2020–present |
Seat 24 :
| Seat established on November 2, 2002 by 116 Stat. 1758 (temporary) ||||
| Cohn | 2003–2016 |
| Seat made permanent on December 23, 2024 by 138 Stat. 2693 ||||
| Singhal | 2019–present |

## United States attorneys

List of U.S. attorneys since 1828
* William Allison McRea (1828–1829)
* John G. Stower (1829–1830)
* John K. Campbell (1830–1831)
* Edward Chandler (1831–1834)
* Adam Gordon (1834)
* Wylie P. Clark (1834–1839)
* Charles Walker (1839–1840)
* L. Windsor Smith (1840–1842)
* George W. McRae (1842–1847)
* L. Windsor Smith (1847–1850)
* William R. Hackley (1850–1858)
* John L. Tatum (1858–1861)
* Thomas J. Boynton (1861–1863)
* Homer G. Plantz (1863–1869)
* Claiborn R. Mobley (1869–1876)
* John Tyler Jr. (1876–1877)
* George B. Patterson (1877–1886)
* Livingstone W. Bethel (1886–1890)
* George B. Patterson (1890–1894)
* Owen J. H. Summers (1894)
* Frank Clark (1894–1897)
* Joseph N. Stripling (1897–1902)
* John Moses Cheney (1902–1912)
* Richard P. Marks (1912–1913)
* Herbert S. Phillips (1913–1921)
* William M. Gober (1921–1929)
* Wilburn P. Hughes (1929–1933)
* John W. Holland (1933–1936)
* Herbert S. Phillips (1936–1953)
* James L. Guilmartin (1953–1959)
* E. Coleman Madsen (1959–1961)
* Edward G. Boardman (1961–1963)
* William A. Meadows Jr. (1963–1969)
* Robert W. Rust (1969–1977)
* Vincent K. Antle (1977)
* Jacob V. Eskenazi (1977–1980)
* Atlee W. Wampler III (1980–1982)
* Stanley Marcus (1982–1985)
* Leon B. Kellner (1985–1988)
* Dexter Lehtinen (1988–1992)
* James McAdams (1992)
* Roberto Martinez (1992–1993)
* Kendall B. Coffey (1993–1996)
* William Keefer (1996–1997)
* Thomas Scott (1997–2000)
* Guy A. Lewis (2000–2002)
* Marcos Jiménez (2002–2005)
* Alexander Acosta (2005–2009)
* Jeffrey H. Sloman (2009–2010)
* Wifredo A. Ferrer (2010–2017)
* Benjamin G. Greenberg (2017–2018)
* Ariana Fajardo Orshan (2018–2021)
* Juan Antonio Gonzalez (2021–2023)
* Markenzy Lapointe (2023–2025)