The Honorable Judge Rudolfo “Rudy” Ruiz is the proud son of two heroic parents who left everything they knew in Cuba in search of freedom and opportunity in the United States. Judge Ruiz’s father was part of Operación Pedro Pan—a program that allowed thousands of unaccompanied Cuban minors to enter the United States from 1960...
Judge Mily Rodriguez Powell is a judge for the Broward County Circuit Court in the 17th Judicial Circuit of Florida. Former Governor Jeb Bush appointed Judge Rodriguez Powell to the Circuit Court in 2005. During her time on the bench, she has held assignments in the Civil and Probate Divisions. Born in Cuba, Judge Rodriguez...
General Magistrate Rudolph “Rudy” (no claim to Notre Dame), Morel was born in Havana Cuba and came to the United States when he was six months old. His mom was imprisoned by the Castro regime, and when she was released, they emigrated to South Florida. His strong Cuban/Latin upbringing created a work ethic he deems...
Judge Tarlika Nunez-Navarro is a Circuit Court Judge for the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit and was appointed to the bench by Governor Rick Scott on March 12, 2018. Judge Navarro currently sits as the presiding Judge over Juvenile Drug Court and Felony Drug Court for Broward County and has been designated a “Champion” in her field...
Judge Carlos Rodriguez was born in Havana, Cuba and left when he was five years old after the Castro regime took over. His father, an airline pilot for Cubana airlines, recognized the implications of the regime’s early nationalization of the airlines and decided that the family should leave Cuba. At the time, families could only...
Passionate about Flamenco dancing, a big fan of Salvador Dali’s artwork, and a lover of her mother’s gazpacho soup, Judge Kathleen McCarthy is immensely proud of her Spanish roots and the cultural fusion she was born into with an Irish American father and a Spanish mother. Her parents met in the late 1950s in Spain,...
Judge Izquierdo is a native Floridian, born and raised in Hialeah, Florida and is a first generation Cuban American. His mother came over on the “Pedro Pan” flights, separated from her parents. His father came to Florida “pre-Castro.” Judge Izquierdo attended Florida International University in Miami, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in...
Judge Alberto Ribas, Jr. is a first-generation Cuban-American who was born and raised in Miami, Florida. Both his sets of grandparents made the brave decision and great sacrifice of sending each of his parents to the United States to flee the Communist regime of Cuba. Judge Ribas graduated the University of Florida in 1991...
The Honorable Olga Levine is a native Floridian who was born in Orlando and was raised in South Florida. Her parents are both of Cuban descent. Judge Levine was the first member of her family to graduate from law school and received both her undergraduate and law degree from University of Florida. After being admitted...
The Honorable David A. Haimes was born and raised in South Florida. His mother, Ligia, was born and raised in Colombia, South America, and she came to the United States when she was in her 20’s. His father was born and raised in New York, and his paternal grandparents came to the United States from...
