The Eleventh Judicial Circuit is pleased to announce that the Honorable Nushin G. Sayfie, currently the Administrative Judge of the Circuit Criminal Division, has been elected Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, the Miami-Dade Courts.

Chief Judge-Elect Sayfie succeeds the Honorable Bertila Soto, who has served as Chief Judge since April 2013 for four full terms. Her current term will expire on June 30, 2021. Chief Judge-Elect Sayfie will assume her new post on July 1, 2021.

“I am truly humbled by the trust my colleagues have placed in me,” Chief Judge-Elect Sayfie said. “It has been my greatest honor to serve as a judge the last 14 years, especially this past year, when all of our judges, staff and court partners have pulled together so admirably to meet the challenges of the pandemic. I look forward to building upon our teamwork and dedication in my new role as Chief Judge. Together we will serve our community well.”

“Judge Sayfie is an outstanding judge with proven leadership skills as evidenced by her tenure as the head of the Circuit Criminal Division,” said Chief Judge Soto. “I have full confidence that Judge Sayfie will lead this circuit with wisdom and dedication as the courts continue to meet the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Chief Judge-Elect Sayfie was first appointed to the Circuit Court by Gov. Charlie Crist in 2007. Prior to her appointment to the Bench, she served as an assistant public defender with the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office since July,1994, where she rose in rank to eventually train and supervise other lawyers in the Felony Division.

She began her judicial career in the Miami-Dade Courts’ Juvenile Dependency Division, then transferred to the Circuit Criminal Division in 2009 and was subsequently appointed Associate Administrative Judge in July 2011, and Administrative Judge in March 2013. She was reelected in 2010 and 2016 without opposition.

Currently she also presides over the Felony Mental Health Diversion Court and is one of the founders of Miami-Dade’s first Veterans’ Court.

Chief-Judge Elect Sayfie has served with many local and statewide organizations throughout her judicial career and teaches litigation skills at the University of Miami School of Law. She has also taught fellow judges at the Florida Conference of Circuit Court Judges and the College of Advanced Judicial Studies.

For her contributions to the community, Chief-Judge Elect Sayfie has received numerous awards, including the Women of Impact and In the Company of Women Awards presented by Miami-Dade County, and the Justice Gerald Kogan Judicial Distinction Award presented by the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

She received her law degree from Fordham University School of Law in 1993, and her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University in 1990.

The Chief Judge has administrative authority over the entire Circuit and is elected to this post every two years by their fellow judges.

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The mission of Florida’s judicial branch is to protect rights and liberties, uphold and interpret the law, and provide for the peaceful resolution of disputes.

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