WHN Miami 2025: Judge Jacqueline Becerra's Journey to the Federal Bench

Speakers

• The Honorable Judge Jacqueline Becerra, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
• Brigid Cech Samole, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig (moderator)

"I was a lawyer for a decade before I ever appeared before a Hispanic woman," said the Honorable Judge Jacqueline Becerra, "And so the thought I would be a judge was ridiculous." In a deeply personal conversation with Brigid Cech Samole of Greenberg Traurig at the 10th Annual AS/COA Women's Hemispheric Network Conference in Miami, the judge traced her trajectory from growing up as a daughter of Cuban immigrants in the Miami neighborhood of Hialeah through her ascent to becoming a federal judge.

Throughout the chat, Becerra emphasized the power of representation in her career. She recalled the Puerto Rican-Cuban dean of students at Yale who ensured her attendance at the Ivy League university and her mother's approval of her entering the Justice Department when it was led by Janet Reno, the first woman U.S. attorney general and fellow Miami native.

Though she spent 15 years in a private practice that required her to travel throughout Latin America, Becerra said public service has always been her calling. She cited her desire to contribute to a strong democracy by helping to uphold judicial independence and cultivating a judiciary that is representative of the community it serves. "Having more women on the bench truly empowers younger women to not let go of the dream," said Becerra, stressing that diversity cultivates a greater talent pool.