Legality of Cannabis by U.S. Jurisdiction

Jacqueline Becerra
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
Assumed office
February 29, 2024
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byMarcia G. Cooke
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
In office
January 5, 2019 – February 29, 2024
Personal details
Born1970 (age 53–54)
Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Miami (BA)
Yale University (JD)

Jacqueline Becerra (born 1970)[1] is an American lawyer from Florida who has served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida since 2024. She previously served as a United States magistrate judge of the same court from 2019 to 2024.

Education[edit]

Becerra earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Miami in 1991 and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1994.[2]

Career[edit]

Becerra first joined the U.S. Department of Justice through its Honors Program, serving in the Civil Division Federal Programs Branch, which defends the Executive branch of the United States Government in civil suits,[3] from 1994 to 1997 and then in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia from 1997 to 1999. She served as an assistant United States attorney U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida from 1999 to 2002 then as a Special Counsel from 2002 to 2004. From 2004 to 2018, she worked as a shareholder at the law firm Greenberg Traurig, P.A. in Miami, where she worked in the Litigation and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) & Global Anti-Corruption practices division.[2] Becerra served as a United States magistrate judge for the Southern District of Florida from January 5, 2019 to February 29, 2024.[2][4]

Notable cases[edit]

Becerra oversaw the extradition hearing of Mario Palacios Palacios, who participated in the assassination of Hatian President Jovenel Moise in 2021.[5]

Federal judicial service[edit]

On November 1, 2023, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Becerra to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.[2] On November 6, 2023, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Becerra to the seat vacated by Judge Marcia G. Cooke, who assumed senior status on July 15, 2022.[6] On November 29, 2023, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[7] During her confirmation hearing, she was questioned by Senator Marsha Blackburn over her past membership with the American Constitution Society and whether she would be impartial as a federal judge.[8] On January 3, 2024, her nomination was returned to the president under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate[9] and she was renominated on January 8, 2024.[10] On January 18, 2024, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 13–8 vote.[11][12] On February 26, 2024, the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 56–38 vote.[13] On February 27, 2024, her nomination was confirmed by a 56–40 vote.[14] She received her judicial commission on February 29, 2024.[15]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "President Biden Names Forty-First Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ https://www.justice.gov/civil/federal-programs-branch
  4. ^ "Jacqueline Becerra | United States Courts". www.uscourts.gov. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  5. ^ "Pressure to elevate Black woman to Miami federal bench remains". November 2, 2023.
  6. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. November 6, 2023.
  7. ^ "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. November 29, 2023.
  8. ^ Weiss, Benjamin S. (November 29, 2023). "Senate Dems urge more bipartisan help in advancing red state court nominees". Courthouse News. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  9. ^ "PN1131 — Jacqueline Becerra — The Judiciary". congress.gov. January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  10. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. January 8, 2024.
  11. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – January 18, 2024" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  12. ^ "Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Twenty Judicial Nominations, One Executive Nomination to the Full Senate" (Press release). United States Senate Judiciary Committee. January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  13. ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Jacqueline Becerra to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Florida)". United States Senate. February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  14. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Jacqueline Becerra, of Florida, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida)". United States Senate. February 27, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  15. ^ Jacqueline Becerra at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

External links[edit]

Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
2024–present 		Incumbent
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacqueline_Becerra