Miami-Dade County Court Judge Carroll J. Kelly is the 2017 recipient of the Chief Justice Award for Judicial Excellence for her leadership in domestic violence judicial education.
Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Jorge Labarga presented the award at the Conference of County Court Judges of Florida.
Kelly was appointed to the Miami-Dade bench in 1999 and serves as the administrative judge in the Miami-Dade County domestic violence division.
"Her ability to truly care for and about the people we come in contact with each day adds to her extensive list of training, knowledge and attributes and sets her apart from many others," according to the nomination letter. "Her knowledge, leadership insight, dedication and empathy have significantly improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of families."
Kelly's grant proposals have brought thousands of dollars into the community for domestic violence projects. She helped coordinate and train attorneys to participate in a pro bono program that represents children in families unsettled by domestic violence and created education programs and resources to help domestic violence litigants better understand the cycle of violence.
In 2014, she co-created a two-phase regional training for Florida judges to enhance statewide consistency and uniformity in domestic violence cases under the auspices of the Florida Institute on Interpersonal Violence.
She is a faculty member of the Florida Judicial College, co-created the Florida Institute on Interpersonal Violence and chairs the Miami-Dade County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council.
The annual award was established in 2014 to recognize one county court judge and one circuit judge who demonstrate exceptional commitment to the judicial branch and who personify judicial excellence.