Judge Cindy S. Lederman was elected to the bench in 1988. Since being appointed by Governor Lawton Chiles to the Circuit Court in 1994, she has served in the Miami-Dade Juvenile Court, including a decade as the Juvenile Court’s Administrative Judge.

Judge Lederman’s interest in bringing science and research into the courtroom results from her 10 year involvement with the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. She was a member of the National Research Council’s Committee on Family Violence Interventions and Panel on Juvenile Crime, Treatment and Control and served from 1996 to 2004 on the Board of Children, Youth and Families of the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine.

Judge Lederman served as a President of the National Association of Women Judges, faculty member of the National Judicial College, member of the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association and member of the Board of Trustees of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.

Judge Lederman recently co-authored a book, Child-Centered Practices for the Courtroom and Community: A Guide to Working Effectively with Young Children in the Child Welfare System, with Lynne Katz Ed.D. and Joy Osofsky Ph.D. It is available from Brookes Publishing Co.

Judge Lederman graduated with high honors from the University of Florida in 1976 and departmental honors in Political Science. She received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Miami Law School in 1979. She is licensed to practice law in the states of Florida and New York.