Judge Robert Scola
Senior United States District Judge
Miami Connection
Judge Scola has shaped Miami's federal judiciary for over three decades, serving first at the state level as a Circuit Court Judge and then at the federal level. He has been instrumental in judicial education, teaching at the University of Miami School of Law and Florida International University College of Law, and serving as President of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Miami Chapter. His work has influenced criminal justice proceedings and legal training throughout South Florida.
About
Robert Nichols Scola Jr. was born on October 30, 1955, in Worcester, Massachusetts. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Brown University in 1977 and his Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School in 1980. He began his legal career as an Assistant State Attorney in Dade County from 1980 to 1986, then practiced criminal law as a sole practitioner in Miami from 1986 to 1995. He served as a Circuit Judge in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit from 1995 to 2011 before President Barack Obama nominated him to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, where he was confirmed by the Senate on October 19, 2011. He assumed senior status on November 1, 2023.