--- title: "Marcia G. Cooke | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/marcia-g-cooke-717" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Marcia G. Cooke U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida · U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida - State: Florida - Role: U.S. District Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-06-30 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, S.D. Florida, 2004-present - Marcia Gail Cooke (1954–2023) was the first African‐American woman to serve as a U.S. District Judge in Florida, known for her fairness, wit, and dedication to justice - Assistant county attorney, Miami-Dade County, FL, 2002-2004 - Chief Inspector General for Florida Governor Jeb Bush (1999–2002) and Assistant County Attorney in Miami‐Dade (2002–04) - She subsequently served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida in multiple roles, including Director of Professional Development and Training and Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney (1992–99). - U.S. Magistrate Judge, Eastern District of Michigan (1984–92) - Assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of Michigan, 1980-1983 - Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida ### Education - Wayne State University Law School in — J.D. (1977) - B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School in 1975 - F.S. — Georgetown University — B.S. (1975) - Georgetown University with her bachelor's degree — 1975 ### Additional information - director of professional development and training, 1992-present - Joined the court in 2004 after being nominated by President George W. Bush (R). - Nominated by President George W. Bush on November 25, 2003, Cooke was confirmed by the Senate 96–0 on May 18, 2004, to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, succeeding Wilkie D. Ferguson. - Jeb Bush, FL, 1999-2002 - director of professional development and training, 1994-1999 - executive assistant U.S. attorney, 1992-1994 - U.S. Magistrate, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 1984-1992 - Private practice, Michigan, 1983-1984 - Deputy public defender, Legal Aid and Defender Association, Detroit, MI, 1979-1980 - Staff attorney, Neighborhood Legal Services, Detroit, MI, 1978-1979 - Date of birth: 1954-01-01 - Chief inspector general, Executive Office of Gov. - Respected by both prosecutors and defense attorneys for her fairness and approachability. - The first African‐American woman federal judge in Florida. - Her colleagues and friends remember her as a kind, demanding, and inspiring judge who “brought people together” and “humanized the federal courthouse” - Birth place: Sumter, SC ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### media and still photography Scope: statewide Electronic media and still-photography coverage is allowed in Florida public trial and appellate proceedings under Rule 2.450's equipment and conduct standards, always subject to the presiding judge's control of decorum, distractions, and fair administration. Evidence excerpt: Subject at all times to the authority of the presiding judge to: (i) control the conduct of proceedings before the court; (ii) ensure decorum and prevent distractions; and (iii) ensure the fair administration of justice in the pending cause, electronic media and still photography coverage of public judicial proceedings in the appellate and trial courts of this state shall be allowed [Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.450, Media and Still Photography Coverage](https://ninthcircuit.org/florida-rule-judicial-administration-2450) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/717/marcia-g-cooke/) - [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/717/marcia-g-cooke/) - [U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/717/marcia-g-cooke/) - [Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.450, Media and Still Photography Coverage](https://ninthcircuit.org/florida-rule-judicial-administration-2450) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/717/marcia-g-cooke/) - [Cooke, Marcia G. | Federal Judicial Center](https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/cooke-marcia-g) - [Marcia Cooke - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Marcia_Cooke) - [Wikidata: Marcia G. Cooke](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6757102) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/marcia-g-cooke-717", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/marcia-g-cooke-717", "name": "Marcia G. Cooke | KnowJudges", "description": "Marcia G. Cooke, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/marcia-g-cooke-717#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/marcia-g-cooke-717#judge", "name": "Marcia G. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.