Nushin Sayfie: Chief Judge leads team of 725 in the 11th Judicial Circuit

Nushin G. Sayfie serves as Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Florida, one of the top five largest jurisdictions in the nation. She is the second woman to serve as Chief Judge in Miami. She was appointed to the Circuit Court in October 2007 and worked in the Criminal Division, where she presided over 100 jury trials. Additionally, she was Administrative Judge of the Criminal Division from March 2013 until June 2021. 

Judge Sayfie has dedicated her legal career to public service, starting as an Assistant Public Defender for 14 years. She supervised and trained lawyers, worked on felony cases, and tried over 75 cases, including homicide and death penalty cases.

She has served on the board of Casa Valentina, which supports youth who have aged out of the foster care system. From 2010 to 2012, she was on the board of the Melissa Institute and has been an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law since January 2020.

Judge Sayfie’s numerous awards for contributions to the community include the Women’s History Coalition’s Woman of Impact Award, the Paul Kaminsky Commitment to Justice Award in 2016, and the Distinguished Iranian American Woman of the Year Award from the Iranian American Foundation in 2019. In 2022, she was honored with the LSGMI Justice Award and the MDTLA Justice Harry Lee Anstead Award. 

Judge Sayfie continues to serve in the Miami criminal justice system, advocating for meaningful change. She has been reelected to the Circuit Court without opposition in 2010, 2016, and 2022. 

Judge Sayfie spoke with Miami Today reporter Genevieve Bowen.  

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