Miami Law’s Center for Ethics and Public Service presented Adalberto Jordan, J.D. '87, B.A. ’84, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, with the 19th annual William M. Hoeveler Ethics and Public Service Award on Nov. 9. This prestigious prize honors extraordinary members of the bar and bench as well as organizations distinguished by their historical dedication to ethics and public service.
In his honor, the law school hosted a luncheon and ceremony, in which Jordan spoke to an audience of students, faculty, graduates, current law clerks, colleagues, and fellow judges. Professor Anthony V. Alfieri, director of the Center for Ethics and Public Service, gave the welcome address. Haneefah Saleem, Legal Profession Program Steven Chaykin Fellow, introduced fellows from the three programs housed in the Center – the Legal Profession Program, the Health Disparities Project (headed by Dr. Timothy Loftus), and the Housing and Community Economic Development Project.
Judge Jordan’s daughter, Diana Jordan Zamora, a lecturer at the University of Miami Herbert Business School, gave a moving introduction in which she touched on her father’s kindness and public service as foundations of his long career. The discussion was moderated by the LPP Mandel Fellow, Nicoletta Pappas, and the LPP Steven Chaykin Fellow, Matthew Shalna. LPP Chaykin Fellows Madison Monzon and Stephanie Sanchez presented the award to Judge Jordan.
“The University of Miami is a very special place for my family and me and today’s ceremony shows why that is so,” said the Cuba-born Jordan, an adjunct professor at Miami Law, Florida International University College of Law, and St. Thomas University College of Law. “I am deeply honored by the award that CEPS bestowed on me today, and I am especially privileged that it comes with Judge Hoeveler’s name. We are very grateful for this wonderful recognition and for the wonderful ceremony that CEPS and the law school put on today.”
President Bill Clinton appointed Jordan as a district judge for the Southern District of Florida in 1999. He served in that capacity until 2012, when President Barack Obama appointed him as a circuit judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals. Before that, Jordan was an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. While at the U.S. Attorney's Office he was the chief of the appellate division and counsel on legal policy from 1998-1999. From 1988-1989, Jordan was a law clerk to the Honorable Sandra Day O'Connor for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Jordan is a member of the American Law Institute and the judicial advisory board of the American Society of International Law.
“The Center for Ethics and Public Service is delighted to honor U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Adalberto Jordan as the recipient of the 19th William M. Hoeveler Award in recognition of his extraordinary service to the federal bar and bench, his commitment to an independent judiciary, and his defense of voting rights as the cornerstone of democracy in America,” Alfieri said.
Founded in 1996, the Center for Ethics and Public Service is a law school-housed experiential education, skills training, and community engagement program devoted to the values of ethical judgement, professional responsibility, and public service in law and society. The Center’s mission is to educate law students to serve their communities as citizen lawyers.
For 25 years, the Center has served as an incubator and an accelerator for numerous public service initiatives. They include on-campus and off-campus clinics (Children and Youth Law Clinic, Community Economic Development & Design Clinic, Community Lawyering Clinic, Environmental Justice Clinic, Health Rights Clinic, and Social Enterprise Clinic), programs (Brown University Institute at Brown for Environment and Society partnership, Dartmouth College Ethics Institute Internship Program, Professional Responsibility and Ethics Program, STREET Law Program, and Joint College of Arts and Sciences Program on Law, Public Policy, and Ethics), summer colloquia (UM Environmental Justice, Policy, & Science), and oral histories and documentary films (Oral History & Documentary Film Project).
The Hoeveler Award was created in honor of the Honorable William M. Hoeveler, senior U.S. District Court judge and the inaugural recipient, as a lifetime achievement award for a lawyer or an organization of outstanding ethics and public service. Christine Davies Hoeveler, Judge Hoeveler’s widow, was in attendance at the event.
Previous Hoeveler Award recipients include:
Julie K. Brown, Journalist
Jenny Staletovich, Journalist
Patricia Borns, Journalist
Friends of the Everglades
U.S. District Judge Marcia G. Cooke, Southern District of Florida
George F. Knox, Jr., JD ‘73
Justice Barbara J. Pariente, Florida Supreme Court, JD ‘73
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge A. Jay Cristol, Southern District of Florida, JD ‘59
Justice R. Fred Lewis, Florida Supreme Court, JD ‘72
Miami Dade County State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle
U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Joseph W. Hatchett, Eleventh Circuit
U.S. District Judge Donald L. Graham, Southern District of Florida
Judge Mario P. Goderich, Eleventh Judicial Circuit; Florida Third District Court of Appeal, JD ‘66
U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Peter T. Fay, Eleventh Circuit
Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno
U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Rosemary Barkett, Eleventh Circuit
Professor Walter H. Beckham, Jr.
Judge Daniel S. Pearson, Florida Third District Court of Appeal
U.S. District Court Judge William M. Hoeveler, Southern District of Florida
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