Ex-Miami U.S. attorney appointed by Trump elected chief judge for nation’s 5th largest court
A Miami-Dade judge who served as the U.S. attorney in Miami after President Donald Trump nominated her in his first term, is the new chief judge of one of the busiest circuit courts in the nation.
Ariana Fajardo Orshan, the first woman to head the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami, defeated incumbent Nushin Sayfie in a close vote Thursday to become the chief judge for the 11th Judicial Circuit in Florida. She inherits the fifth-largest circuit court in the country, with about 125 judges and several divisions from criminal to civil to family and veterans court.
Fajardo Orshan, elected through an internal vote by the court’s judges, begins her term as chief judge on July 1.
Married and with one son, Fajardo Orshan graduated from Florida International University and Nova Southeastern University Law School. After serving as a prosecutor with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, she was appointed to the circuit by Gov. Rick Scott in 2012 and served in family court.
In 2018, thanks to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s influence, Trump nominated her to lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Florida’s Southern District and the Senate subsequently confirmed her. She resigned in 2021 when President Joe Biden took office.
During her tenure, her office prosecuted Sinaloa drug cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. She’s been serving as a civil court judge in the 11th Circuit Court since.
Sayfie served as chief judge for the past four years. After graduating from Georgetown and Fordham Law School, she spent 14 years in the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office. In 2007, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist appointed her and she worked in the court’s criminal division, where she served as an administrative judge from 2013 through 2021.
During her term, Sayfie pushed for bail reform and was one of the founders of Miami-Dade’s Veterans Court.
As chief judge, Fajardo Orshan will be responsible for the overall administration of the 11th Circuit Court. She will assign judges, manage caseloads, control dockets and review the county jails.
This story was originally published February 7, 2025 at 10:43 AM.
