Jason A. Reding Quiñones, the son of a Cuban political refugee, was sworn in on Wednesday as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, following his nomination by President Donald J. Trump and confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Attorney General Pam Bondi administered the oath of office.
Reding Quiñones becomes the first confirmed U.S. Attorney of Trump’s second administration, succeeding Haitian-born Markenzy Lapointe, who resigned in January. Hayden O’Byrne served as interim U.S. Attorney until the appointment.
“As the son of a Cuban political refugee and a proud Miami native, I am deeply honored by the trust and confidence that President Trump, Attorney General Bondi, and the United States Senate have placed in me,” Reding Quiñones said in a statement. “As the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, I will work tirelessly to protect the American people, restore impartial justice, and defend the rule of law without fear or favor.”
The Southern District of Florida is the third-largest U.S. Attorney’s Office in the nation, covering more than 15,000 square miles across Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Okeechobee, and Highlands counties — stretching from Key West to Sebastian and west to Sebring. The office prosecutes a wide range of federal criminal offenses and handles civil litigation involving U.S. legal interests.
Before his appointment, Reding Quiñones served as a state court trial judge in Miami-Dade County, presiding over civil and criminal domestic violence cases. He also worked as a national security official in the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, focusing on counterterrorism, and as a federal prosecutor in both the Eastern District of Virginia and the Southern District of Florida.
A decorated 22-year veteran of the U.S. military, Reding Quiñones has served in the Army and Air Force as a cavalry scout, infantry officer, logistics officer, and judge advocate. He currently serves as a reserve lieutenant colonel, advising U.S. Central Command on national security and counterterrorism law.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology, with a minor in military sciences, from the University of Florida, and a Juris Doctor from Florida International University College of Law.
Reding Quiñones praised O’Byrne for his leadership, saying, “Mr. O’Byrne is a patriot who has faithfully served this community for many years. I thank him for his leadership and look forward to building on his successes.”
