Magistrate Judge Staci G Cornelius was appointed in 2014 with more than 20 years of courtroom experience in both civil and criminal matters as an Assistant United States Attorney, Deputy District Attorney for Jefferson County, Alabama, and litigator in private practice. In these capacities, she tried more than 200 jury cases to verdict. Following her initial eight-year term, Judge Cornelius was reappointed in 2022. Over the course of her first and second terms, Judge Cornelius has handled more than 600 civil cases to conclusion pursuant to the unanimous consent of the parties. These cases have included business and insurance disputes, tort claims, employment discrimination cases, wage disputes, social security appeals, actions seeking to vindicate civil rights violations, a First Amendment case, a trademark infringement action, and an admiralty case. Judge Cornelius also manages pro se prisoner litigation and habeas proceedings and has successfully mediated more than 40 cases on referral from district judges and other magistrate judges. During her time in private practice and as a magistrate judge, Judge Cornelius has served as an adjunct professor at Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law, teaching Basic Skills in Trial Advocacy and Jury Selection.