On September 24th, we had the privilege of hearing from Judge Rachel Kamoutsas of Florida’s Sixth District Court of Appeal, with an amazing turnout of 117 students. She walked the students through the Constitution and its history, explained what serving as an appellate judge looks like, and shared the path that brought her to the bench. She also spoke openly about her faith, turning to Romans and Proverbs to show how scripture shapes her view of justice and wisdom. In the Q&A, she recommended leadership reading, including scripture and The Reason for God, and addressed how to balance religion and law, handle hard cases, and engage in civil discourse.

“As a student who hopes to go to law school, this event meant a lot to me. So often you hear people say law school was easy for them, so it was refreshing to hear a woman judge speak honestly about the opposite, admitting she had to put in a lot of work and that it wasn’t as easy for her as it was for some classmates. It was also refreshing to hear her speak so openly about her faith, explaining that she still holds her own personal beliefs while recognizing that being a judge means setting some of those opinions aside on the bench.” – Breanna Voigt, ACPL Worker

“I left the evening grateful for the chance to learn from someone who leads with both integrity and humility. Judge Kamoutsas showed me that our values and our work don’t have to live in separate places, and that is something I’ll carry into my studies and my leadership on campus.” – Felicity Gonzalez, Student Body President

Thank you to Judge Kamoutsas and to all of the students who joined us for such a meaningful evening! To stay up to date on future events, follow us on Instagram @theacpl