Cuban American Bar Association celebrates Hispanic women judges
'Hispanic women have played a major role in breaking down barriers in many fields and this includes the justice system'
CABA’s August Judicial Forum and Luncheon celebrated Florida’s Hispanic women judges and their “service to the judiciary, commitment to justice, and dedication to promoting diversity in the legal profession.” Pictured in the back from the left are CABA President Giselle Gutierrez, Judge Miriam Velez Valkenburg, Judge Myriam Irizarry, Judge Brenda P. Ramirez, Judge Daliah H. Weiss, Judge Tatiana Radi Salvador, Judge Marina Garcia-Wood, Judge Gina Beovides, Amanda Demanda, and Miriam Soler Ramos. In the front from the left are Judge Gisela T. Laurent, Justice Meredith L. Sasso, Judge Leandra G. Johnson, Judge Corali Lopez-Castro, and Judge Monica Gordo. Photo by EVCLAY_AGUSTINA.
The Cuban American Bar Association held its 2023 Judicial Forum and Luncheon August 11 at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Coconut Grove.
The event celebrated Florida’s Hispanic women judges and their “service to the judiciary, commitment to justice, and dedication to promoting diversity in the legal profession.”
“Hispanic women have played a major role in breaking down barriers in many fields and this includes the justice system,” said Giselle Gutierrez, CABA president and attorney at Stearns Weaver Miller. “They have contributed greatly to the diversity on the bench and continue to empower the next generation of future Hispanic women judges.”
The honorees included:
- Hon. Meredith L. Sasso, Supreme Court Justice, Florida Supreme Court
- Hon. Monica Gordo, Appellate Court Judge, Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal
- Hon. Leandra G. Johnson, Circuit Court Judge, Florida’s Third Judicial Circuit
- Hon. Tatiana Radi Salvador, Circuit Court Judge, Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit
- Hon. Myriam Irizarry, Senior County Court Judge, Florida’s Sixth Judicial Circuit
- Hon. Gloria Walker, Circuit Court Judge, Florida’s Eighth Judicial Circuit
- Hon. Gisela T. Laurent, Circuit Court Judge, Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit
- Hon. Brenda P. Ramirez, Circuit Court Judge, Florida’s 10th Judicial Circuit
- Hon. Gina Beovides, Circuit Court Judge, Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit
- Hon. Maria Ruhl, Circuit Court Judge, Florida’s 12th Judicial Circuit
- Hon. Miriam Velez Valkenburg, County Court Judge, Florida’s 13th Judicial Circuit
- Hon. Ana Maria Garcia, Circuit Court Judge, Florida’s 14th Judicial Circuit
- Hon. Daliah H. Weiss, Circuit Court Judge, Florida’s 15th Judicial Circuit
- Hon. Marina Garcia-Wood, Circuit Court Judge, Florida’s 17th Judicial Circuit
- Hon. Christina Marie Sanchez Serrano, Circuit Court Judge, Florida’s 18th Judicial Circuit
- Hon. Josephine Gagliardi, County Court Judge, Florida’s 20th Judicial Circuit
- Hon. Corali Lopez-Castro, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge, Southern District of Florida
- Hon. Virginia Covington, U.S. District Court Judge, Middle District of Florida
“It is a privilege to participate in this important forum and to celebrate the many achievements of Hispanic women in Florida’s judiciary,” said Luis de la Aguilera, president and CEO of U.S. Century Bank, the events main sponsor. “We are proud of their accomplishments and the standard they set as they inspire others.”
Ryan T. Thornton, Jenea M. Reed, Robert S. Turk, Jason P. Hernandez, Giselle Gutierrez, Thomas C. Raine, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, Morgan A. McDonough, and Ivette Delgado attended CABA’s recent Judicial Forum and Luncheon in Coconut Grove. Photo by EVCLAY_AGUSTINA.
The full day of programming included breakfast followed by three CLEs which were led by various legal professionals from across the state. The topics discussed included:
- “The Ins & Outs of The Florida Bar Grievance Process,” presented by Florida Bar President-elect and CABA past President Roland Sanchez-Medina, Jr., and CABA director Daniel Buigas.
- “Legal Ethics in AI Technology,” presented by past Florida Bar President and past CABA President Ramon A. Abadin; Board of Governors member Gordon Glover, co-chair of the Bar’s Special Committee on AI Tools & Resources; and Francisco Ramos, Jr.
- “Demystifying the Judicial Nominating Commission,” presented by Maria D. Garcia, a CABA past president; Meredith Pardo of the Executive Office of Governor Ron DeSantis, assistant general counsel, and director of judicial appointments; Harout Jack Samra of the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission; and Lilly Ann Sanchez chair of the Third District Court of Appeal JNC.
