JudicialFinder
A U.S. district court / Established 1847

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

Florida · A federal trial court, where federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. Appeals go to the Eleventh Circuit.

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Eleventh Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.

76
Judges in history
31
Currently serving
24
Seats over time
41 / 35
Appointed D / R
Current judges
JudgeAppointed bySince
James Lawrence KingNixon (R)1970
Jose Alejandro Gonzalez Jr.Carter (D)1978
William J. ZlochReagan (R)1985
Federico A. MorenoBush (R)1990
Donald L. GrahamBush (R)1991
Kevin Michael MooreBush (R)1992
Daniel T. K. HurleyClinton (D)1994
Joan A. LenardClinton (D)1995
Alan Stephen GoldClinton (D)1997
Donald M. MiddlebrooksClinton (D)1997
William P. DimitrouleasClinton (D)1998
Patricia A. SeitzClinton (D)1998
Paul C. HuckClinton (D)2000
Kenneth A. MarraBush (R)2002
Jose E. MartinezBush (R)2002
Cecilia M. AltonagaBush (R)2003
James I. CohnBush (R)2003
Robert Nichols Scola Jr.Obama (D)2011
Kathleen Mary WilliamsObama (D)2011
Beth Francine BloomObama (D)2014
Darrin Phillip GaylesObama (D)2014
Robin Lee RosenbergObama (D)2014
Roy Kalman AltmanTrump (R)2019
Rodolfo Armando Ruiz IITrump (R)2019
Anuraag Hari SinghalTrump (R)2019
Rodney SmithTrump (R)2019
Aileen Mercedes CannonTrump (R)2020
Jacqueline BecerraBiden (D)2024
Melissa DamianBiden (D)2024
David Seymour LeibowitzBiden (D)2024
Edward L. ArtauTrump (R)2025
Former judges
JudgeAppointed byYears
Robin Stacie RosenbaumObama (D)2012–2014
Marcia G. CookeBush (R)2004–2023
Adalberto Jose JordanClinton (D)1999–2012
Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr.Clinton (D)1993–2003
Ursula UngaroBush (R)1992–2021
Shelby HighsmithBush (R)1991–2015
Kenneth L. RyskampReagan (R)1986–2017
Stanley MarcusReagan (R)1985–1997
Thomas Emerson Scott Jr.Reagan (R)1985–1990
Lenore Carrero NesbittReagan (R)1983–2001
Edward Bertrand DavisCarter (D)1979–2000
Alcee Lamar HastingsCarter (D)1979–1989
James W. KehoeCarter (D)1979–1998
James Carriger PaineCarter (D)1979–2010
Eugene P. SpellmanCarter (D)1979–1991
William Marcellin HoevelerCarter (D)1977–2017
Sidney Myer AronovitzFord (R)1976–1997
Norman Charles Roettger Jr.Nixon (R)1972–2003
Peter Thorp FayNixon (R)1970–1976
Joseph Oscar EatonJohnson (D)1967–2008
Carl Clyde AtkinsJohnson (D)1966–1999
Ted CabotJohnson (D)1966–1971
William Osborne MehrtensJohnson (D)1965–1980
Charles Britton FultonKennedy (D)1963–1996
David William DyerKennedy (D)1961–1966
William Allan McRae Jr.Kennedy (D)1961–1962
George Cressler YoungKennedy (D)1961–1966
Joseph Patrick LiebEisenhower (R)1956–1962
Emett Clay ChoateEisenhower (R)1954–1974
John Milton Bryan SimpsonTruman (D)1950–1962
George William WhitehurstTruman (D)1950–1974
Dozier Adolphus DeVaneRoosevelt (D)1943–1947
William Julius BarkerRoosevelt (D)1940–1968
Curtis Longino WallerRoosevelt (D)1940–1943
John Warthen HollandRoosevelt (D)1936–1969
Louie Willard StrumHoover (R)1931–1950
Alexander AkermanCoolidge (R)1929–1948
Halsted Lockwood RitterCoolidge (R)1929–1936
Lake JonesCoolidge (R)1924–1930
Rhydon Mays CallWilson (D)1913–1927
James William LockeGrant (R)1872–1912
John McKinneyGrant (R)1871–1871
Thomas Jefferson BoyntonLincoln (R)1864–1870
William MarvinPolk (D)1847–1863
John Moses CheneyTaft (R)?–1913

How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1847.

Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.