Known For
Pioneering prosecutorial innovations including the nation's first domestic violence unit, Human Trafficking Task Force, and Second Chance Seal and Expunge Program for criminal record relief.
About
Katherine Fernandez Rundle has served as Miami-Dade County State Attorney since her 1993 appointment by Governor Lawton Chiles, making history in 1994 as Florida's first Cuban-American elected to the position. During her 15 years as an Assistant State Attorney under Janet Reno, she established the state's first domestic violence unit and provided legal counsel to the county grand jury, laying groundwork for her later innovations. Her tenure has been marked by groundbreaking initiatives including the Human Trafficking Task Force combating child exploitation, the Second Chance Seal and Expunge Program offering ex-offenders pathways to criminal record relief, and Miami-Dade's Veterans Court ensuring arrested service members receive specialized support. The daughter of Miami's first Hispanic judge and founder of the Cuban American Bar Association, Rundle became the organization's first female president in 1991, continuing her family's public service legacy. A University of Miami alumna with postgraduate credentials from Cambridge Law School, she has positioned her office as a national leader in Smart Justice reform while maintaining aggressive prosecution of violent crimes and elder abuse cases.