Jacqueline Becerra
How Judge Becerra rules, drawn from 43 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Becerra
Jacqueline Becerra is a judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Appointed by President Joseph R. Biden, Judge Becerra received a commission on February 29, 2024.
Judge Becerra's practices and standing orders
Rules for cases before Judge Becerra, as published on the court's website (checked October 8, 2026). Judges revise these often, so confirm the current version on the court's site before you file.
Key rules
Filing
Email proposed default orders and final judgments to chambers in Word format.
“the proposed order and proposed final judgment shall be submitted to the Court by e-mail in Word format at [email protected].”
Motions
File a motion for default final judgment within seven days of the clerk’s default.
“Within seven (7) days of the entry of a Clerk’s Default, Plaintiff(s) must file a Motion for Default Final Judgment.”
Standing orders for every case in this court
Orders the court applies to all of its cases, whichever judge has them, as published on the court's website (checked October 8, 2026).
How Judge Becerra decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In Martinez Guadalupe's habeas case, Becerra held that the petitioner fell under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) after the Eleventh Circuit's Hernandez Alvarez decision. She ordered an individualized bond hearing within seven days or his release.
“Petitioner falls under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a), and accordingly, Respondents shall promptly afford Petitioner an individualized bond hearing consistent with 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) within seven days of this Order or otherwise release Petitioner.”
Cautions
A post-removal detention challenge filed before six months have elapsed is premature under Zadvydas, and the petitioner must also show no significant likelihood of removal in the reasonably foreseeable future.
“the first prong is not met given that Petitioner had been in custody for less than six months when he filed the Petition. ... Petitioner's claim still fails because the Petitioner has failed to show that there is no significant likelihood of removal in the reasonably foreseeable future”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Defendants' Motions to Dismiss, ECF Nos. [25], [34], [39], [55], [58], are GRANTED and the Complaint, ECF No. [1], is DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE. ... Plaintiff may file an amended complaint that complies with the requirements set forth in the Report by July 8, 2024.”
“Defendants' Motion to Dismiss, ECF No. [99], is DENIED WITHOUT PREJUDICE to permit limited jurisdictional discovery to proceed. ... Defendants may file a renewed motion to dismiss according to the established briefing schedule, if they so choose.”
“The Report, ECF No. [68], is AFFIRMED AND ADOPTED. ... Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment, ECF No. [56], is DENIED.”
“the Court lacks jurisdiction to enforce the Settlement Agreement and Defendant's Motion to Compel Arbitration is therefore DENIED. ... Defendants' Motion to Compel Arbitration, ECF No. [31], is DENIED.”
“Plaintiff's Motion for Contempt and Request for a Preliminary Injunction, ECF No. [34], is DENIED WITHOUT PREJUDICE and Plaintiff may file a renewed motion if the parties have not already resolved their dispute, whether through arbitration or otherwise.”
“Plaintiffs' Expedited Motion to Authorize Alternative Service, ECF No. [24], is GRANTED IN PART AND DEFERRED IN PART as set forth herein.”
“Petitioner Angelo Gallardo Andrade's Verified Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, ECF No. [1], is GRANTED IN PART. The Court has determined that Petitioner falls under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a), and accordingly, Respondents shall promptly afford Petitioner an individualized bond hearing consistent with 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a) or otherwise release Petitioner.”
“Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Becerra's January 29, 2021 Report and Recommendation (DE 23) be, and the same is, hereby AFFIRMED and ADOPTED as an Order of this Court; ... Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment (DE 21) is hereby GRANTED; ... Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment (DE 19) is hereby DENIED”
“Plaintiff’s Motion for Summary Judgment (DE 21) is hereby GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART; ... The above-styled action is hereby REMANDED to the Social Security Commissioner for further proceedings consistent with this opinion;”
“Borodin's Motion [ECF No. 202] is DENIED.”
“SBSC's, Lifecell's, and Suarez's Joint Motion [ECF No. 204] is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part as follows: a. GRANTED as to Counts I, II, and III of Defendants'/Counter-Plaintiffs' Second Amended Counterclaim ... b. GRANTED as to Counts I and II of Defendants'/Counter-Plaintiffs' Third-Party Complaint Against Suarez ... and c. DENIED as to Count II of Lifecell and SBSC's Amended Complaint”
“Respondents' Motions to Dismiss, (DEs 87, 108), is hereby DENIED AS MOOT.”
“Defendant City of Miami's Motion to Dismiss, ECF No. [9], is GRANTED and Plaintiff's Complaint, ECF No. [1], is DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE. If Plaintiff intends to file an amended complaint to cure the deficiencies identified in the Report, he must do so no later than March 12, 2025.”
District Judge Jose E. Martinez's order overruling a pro se plaintiff's objections and adopting Magistrate Judge Becerra's Report and Recommendation that a Section 1915(e) in forma pauperis screening complaint be dismissed. An IFP screening dismissal, not an ordinary contested motion to dismiss, so it is excluded from the dispositive-motion count; included here only as background on her magistrate-era screening practice.
Pending matters in the official report
Reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts under the Civil Justice Reform Act, as of March 31, 2026.
| Motions pending more than six months | 0 |
| Bench trials submitted more than six months | 0 |
| Bankruptcy appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Social Security appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Civil cases pending more than three years | 0 |
| Report | Motions over six months | Cases over three years |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2024 | 0 | 1 |
| Mar 2024 | 0 | 1 |
| Sep 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2023 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2021 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2021 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2020 | 3 | 0 |
A snapshot on that date: matters listed may since have been decided or reassigned. A motion referred to a magistrate judge is counted for both judges. Motions in multidistrict litigation, section 2255 cases and Social Security appeals are not counted, and a very large three-year count is generally a multidistrict docket. Source: Appendix A of the report (PDF); about the report.
How long civil cases take in this court
For the whole of United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, not for Judge Becerra: median time from filing to disposition of the civil cases the court closed in the 12 months ending September 30, 2025, as reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
| Cases | Median time | |
|---|---|---|
| All civil cases closed | 8,196 | 3.4 months |
| Closed with no court action | 848 | 3 months |
| Closed before pretrial | 7,287 | 3.5 months |
| Closed during or after pretrial | 16 | 10.1 months |
| Closed during trial | 45 | 17.1 months |
| 12 months ending | Cases closed | Median time |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 8,196 | 3.4 months |
| Sep 2024 | 7,755 | 3.6 months |
| Sep 2023 | 20,408 | 0 months |
| Sep 2022 | 8,287 | 3.7 months |
| Sep 2021 | 8,536 | 3.2 months |
| Sep 2020 | 8,657 | 3.4 months |
| Sep 2019 | 9,471 | 3.7 months |
The table leaves out prisoner petitions, land condemnations, deportation reviews, recovery of overpayments and enforcement of judgments, and reports no median for fewer than 10 cases. A district that closed a large multidistrict litigation in the period shows very large counts and long medians for that year. Source: Table C-5, U.S. District Courts (spreadsheet).
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