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| As a young girl growing up in New Jersey, Christine Hernandez grew up with a love for the rule of law and the United States of America. Her father fled Cuba when he was five years old with his mother and settled in the Garden State while her uncle was able to flee to Venezuela. Christine’s grandfather was a lawyer and police captain in Cuba before being arrested and jailed as a political prisoner. After being incarcerated for decades without due process, her “abuelo” was released and joined his family in New Jersey. |
| “My father hadn’t seen him since 1959 when he was a small child, and they were reunited in 1979 only two months before my twin brother and I were born. My grandfather played a huge part in my life. We learned so much from him about the importance of freedom. He would also tell us stories about Cuba and how he was arrested and had no trial and sent to prison. From him I learned that without rules or order society would be in chaos and that without respect, you cannot thrive.” |
| Though her family had means in Cuba, when they were exiled, they left with nothing. Like most of their compatriots, they had to start all over again. “My grandmother worked in a factory and was beyond proud of it. She taught me to take pride in my work no matter what I did. I have carried that with me always.” |
| Christine’s parents met in high school, married young and had three children. “I have an older sister who is in finance and lives in NJ. My twin brother lives in Miami Beach and has a court reporting business.” |
| Growing up Christine wanted to be in criminal justice. She remembers her mother always watching Dateline and crime documentaries. |
| Christine attended Fordham University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Spanish Studies. She knew as an undergraduate student that she wanted to go to law school but thought she would practice corporate law and do contracts. |
| But once she was at the University of Miami Law, she received advice that would change her life. |
| At UM Law it was known that if you ever wanted to litigate, you had to do a Certified Legal Internship at the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. Christine applied after her 2L year, and she found her passion and purpose in being a prosecutor. “On my very first day I was hooked! I went to court, and it changed my life! It was the best summer and I had so much fun. Prosecutors did what I always envisioned that a lawyer would do. You help victims and even help defendants. As a prosecutor, you could do so much good.” |
| After deciding that she wanted to become a prosecutor, Christine applied to three prosecutors’ offices Miami, Queens, and the Bronx. She received offers from all but Miami was her first choice and where she began her career as a lawyer. |
| “I knew when I hired Christine Hernandez as an Assistant State Attorney that this was a woman who did not back away from a challenge,” said State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. “Her intelligence and her inner strength have been the foundation pillars upon which her successful legal career has rested. I am certain that upon entering the Circuit Court bench, Judge Christine Hernandez will continue to demonstrate the same passion and commitment to the law that she has always exemplified.” |
| “I am grateful that State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle took a chance on me. She selects people with good judgement and who are committed to keeping the community safe. Then she allows you to use your discretion. I have always admired her because she allows you to state your opinion and she respects it.” |
| From 2005 until 2010, Christine honed her skills as a prosecutor and worked her way up to being a Division Chief in the Felony Divisions. “The training you receive at SAO is bar none to any prosecutor’s office in the country. My niece works at Manhattan DA and has interned with us, she attests that the training and exposure to trials is unlike anywhere else.” |
| “I remember my first day as a C prosecutor I found myself in a trial. I had to rise to the challenge and kept going from there, you have to take advantage of the opportunities to go to trial and hone your litigation skills on the C level cases.” |
| “At the SAO we always had a great support system among colleagues. I never felt that I was by myself. I had a village.” |
| She loved what she was doing but the opportunity presented itself to join a firm that did family law and offered a very substantial raise and Christine went into private practice. “They made me a financial offer that I couldn’t refuse. They were wonderful and I met a lot of civil lawyers, but my heart was in prosecution and litigation.” |
| Two years later Christine came back to the SAO. “I took a pay cut but I loved what I was doing.” She went back to being an A then eventually worked herself back up to a DC. |
| One of the things that Christine is clear on is that “you learn more from your losses than from your wins. If you don’t lose, then you take things for granted.” |
| This was the case with The State vs Rodney Calabro. The Victim and the Defendant were both homeless. The Victim was beaten to death with a tree branch. “Though the role of prosecutor and defense are adversarial, in this case we had the most respectful, professional, and honest working relationship. |
| Though everyone thought the prosecution was winning, the jury fell to the CSI effect after the defense presented an expert who testified about lifting fingerprints from trees. I put on a rebuttal witness and tried to address the question as to why prints weren’t taking from tree, but we ended up with a not guilty. I learned many lessons in that case including no matter what, do not take anything for granted; the importance of the rebuttal; and making sure to lay down a proper record for the appellate court. This definitely made me a better lawyer.” |
| Christine went on to successfully prosecute dozens of cases. She explains that sometimes what may be appropriate is a case to be dismissed or pled out, but if a case needs to go to trial it the duty and privilege of a prosecutor to serve the community by seeking justice. |
| “Kathy was always complimentary whenever we went to trial. Whether it was a note or a phone call, in some way she thanked us for the work we did. It made you take even more pride in what you were doing.” |
| Christine remembers vividly a specific call from the State Attorney. “Kathy called me personally to work on the Baby Lollipops case with Reid Rubin being first chair and Christine Zahralban from Legal. I was so honored to be selected and I learned so much from working on that case. At the time my daughter was only three years old which made it a very emotional case because Baby Lazaro died when he was three years old. I remember standing up to give the opening statement and my voice cracked a little.” |
| In September of 2018, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida ended their hiring freeze which had lasted a couple of years. “They had openings and other former ASA’s who were there reached out to me and encouraged me apply. Even though financially it was a good move, it was the most difficult decision that I ever made. I had never wanted to leave SAO.” |
| Christine explains that the US attorney’s Office is different than the SAO because there is more writing involved and not as many trials. She dedicated herself into mastering federal law and honing another set of skills. |
| Though she had served on the Judicial Nominating Committee (JNC) for eight years (2011-2019), she had not really considered a career on the bench. “I had a huge respect for judges, but I still wanted to try cases.” |
| Then in Spring 2023 there were vacancies on the bench in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida. Christine asked herself if it was the moment to make another career transition. “Am I ready to do this now? I asked myself and other trusted friends who were on the bench. They assured me that I was and encouraged me to put in for openings in Circuit Court as well as for County Court which I was already putting in for.” |
| “I submitted my application and was fortunate that I was nominated by the JNC. Then I went to Tallahassee for the interview which was a very interesting and rigorous process. There were so many great applicants that I did not expect to get it the first time. It is a process, and most people have to put in a few times before being appointed.” |
| Christine was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to the Circuit Court of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida. She joins many ASA alums on the bench in April of 2024. |
| “It is an honor and a great responsibility to serve my community in this new endeavor. I am also grateful that so many colleagues including defense attorneys took the time to write letters of support for my appointment. It goes to show that how you treat people matters. Professionalism and honesty solidify your reputation.” |
| Christine is excited with this new opportunity and challenge. “A judge is the referee charged with making sure that the law is followed and rights of all under the constitution are upheld. |
| She also has some advice for our current prosecutors: “Work hard, keep your head down, be nice, be respectful of opposing counsel, and be mindful of what you leave as your first impression. But most importantly, your word is everything.” |
