Jacqueline Becerra

Southern District of Florida
	Eleventh Circuit
Judgeships
	Posts: 18
	Judges: 18
	Vacancies: 0
Judges
	Chief: Cecilia Altonaga
	Active judges: ; Roy Altman, Cecilia Altonaga, Edward Artau, Jacqueline Becerra, Beth Bloom, Aileen Cannon, Melissa Damian, William Dimitrouleas, Darrin P. Gayles, David Leibowitz, Jose E. Martinez, Donald Middlebrooks, Kevin M. Moore, Robin L. Rosenberg, Rodolfo Ruiz, 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, Robert N. Scola Jr., Patricia Seitz, William Zloch

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Jacqueline Becerra
	Court: United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
Progress
	Confirmed 113 days after nomination.
	Nominated: November 6, 2023
	ABA Rating: Well Qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: November 29, 2023
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: January 18, 2023
	Confirmed: February 27, 2024
	Vote: 56-40

Jaqueline Becerra is a judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. She was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on November 6, 2023, and confirmed by the United States Senate on February 27, 2024, by a vote of 56-40.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] Becerra was one of 235 Article III judges nominated by President Joe Biden (D) and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Prior to joining the court, Becerra was a federal magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida (2024-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On November 6, 2023, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Becerra to the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. Becerra received commission on February 29, 2024.^[2] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Becerra by a vote of 56-40 on February 27, 2024.^[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Becerra confirmation vote (February 27, 2024)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	47	0	1
Republican	6	40	3
Independent	3	0	0
Total	56^[5]	40	4

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Becerra's nomination on November 29, 2023.^[6] She was reported to the full Senate on January 18, 2023, after a 13-8 committee vote.^[7] Click here for a list of other nominees awaiting a committee vote.

Nomination

On November 6, 2023, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Becerra to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Becerra's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2024.^[8] The president renominated Becerra on January 8, 2024.^[2]

"The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Becerra well qualified.^[9] To read more about ABA ratings, click here."

Becerra was nominated to replace Judge Marcia Cooke, whose service ended on January 27, 2023, upon her death.^[10]

Biography

Education

Becerra received her bachelor's degree from the University of Miami in 1991, and her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1994.

Professional career

2024-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
2019-2024: federal magistrate judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
2004-2018: Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig, P.A.
2002-2004: Special Counsel, United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
1999-2002: Assistant U.S. Attorney, United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida^[11]

About the court

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.

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:

To read opinions published by this court, click here.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.

As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.

After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.

If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.

The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.

If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.

External links

Suggest a link

Footnotes

↑ [https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/11/01/president-biden-names-forty-first-round-of-judicial-nominees/ The White House, "President Biden Names Forty-First Round of Judicial Nominees ," November 1, 2023]
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 Congress.gov, PN1240 — Jacqueline Becerra — The Judiciary," accessed January 8, 2024
↑ The White House, "Nominations Sent to the Senate," January 8, 2024
↑ Congress.gov, "PN1131 — Jacqueline Becerra — The Judiciary," accessed November 7, 2023
↑ Note: The bolded number reflects the largest number.
↑ [https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-activity/hearings/11/29/2023/nominations Senate Judiciary Committee, "STANDING COMMITTEE ONTHE FEDERAL JUDICIARY," accessed November 29, 2023]
↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "Results of Executive Business Meeting – January 18, 2024," January 19, 2023
↑ Under Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, pending nominations are returned to the president if the Senate adjourns sine die or recesses for more than 30 days.
↑ [https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/government_affairs_office/fjc-chart-118th-congress-dec-2023.pdf American Bar Association, ""STANDING COMMITTEE ONTHE FEDERAL JUDICIARY,"" accessed December 12, 2023]
↑ Law.com, "Miami-Based Judge Has Died," accessed February 5, 2023
↑ The Federal Judicial Center, "Becerra, Jacqueline," accessed February 29, 2024

Political offices
Preceded by Marcia Cooke	United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida 2024-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida 2019-2024	Succeeded by -

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