Ariana Fajardo Orshan
Chief Judge
Conexión con Miami
A native of Miami Springs, Fajardo Orshan has spent her entire legal career serving South Florida, from prosecuting major crimes in Miami-Dade County to leading the federal prosecutor's office for the Southern District of Florida. As Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit and a faculty member at Florida International University College of Law, she continues to shape Florida's judicial system and legal education.
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Ariana Fajardo Orshan is an American jurist born and raised in Miami to Cuban immigrant parents. She earned her law degree from Nova Southeastern University's Shepard Broad College of Law in 1996. She began her legal career as an Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade County, prosecuting narcotics and organized crime cases, before transitioning to private litigation practice. President Trump nominated her as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida in 2018, and she was confirmed by the Senate on August 28, 2018, becoming the first woman to hold this position. After resigning in March 2021, she was reappointed to the Circuit Court bench by Governor Ron DeSantis and was elected Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit.