Kansas R. Gooden

Judge, Florida's Third District Court of Appeal

Topics:	Civil Rights • Constitution • Contracts • Due Process • Federal Courts • Federalism • Federalist Society • Founding Era & History • Jurisprudence • Litigation • Philosophy • Politics • Separation of Powers • State Courts • State Governments • Supreme Court • Federalism & Separation of Powers • The Practice Groups • State Constitutions • In-House Counsel Working Group • State Court Docket Watch

Topics:

Civil Rights • Constitution • Contracts • Due Process • Federal Courts • Federalism • Federalist Society • Founding Era & History • Jurisprudence • Litigation • Philosophy • Politics • Separation of Powers • State Courts • State Governments • Supreme Court • Federalism & Separation of Powers • The Practice Groups • State Constitutions • In-House Counsel Working Group • State Court Docket Watch

Judge Kansas R. Gooden currently serves on Florida's Third District Court of Appeal in Miami, Florida. She was appointed by Governor DeSantis on June 28, 2024.

Prior to joining the Court, Judge Gooden, a Board Certified Appellate Specialist, was a shareholder at the law firm of Boyd & Jenerette, PA and served as the firm’s general counsel and appellate practice group leader. She appeared in state and federal courts throughout Florida. She handled over 400 civil appeals and extraordinary writs. Notably, she is one of the only attorneys—and likely the only female—to argue back-to-back cases before the Florida Supreme Court on the same day. Many of her cases involved issues of first impression or are those bound to reach the Florida Supreme Court.

Judge Gooden has spent her career serving in many legal organizations. She is the Immediate Past Chair of the Florida Bar’s Appellate Practice Section and Chair of the Florida Bar’s Board of Legal Specialization and Education Committee. Previously, she chaired the Florida Bar's Appellate Board Certification Committee and is a Past President of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association. From 2022-2024, she served on the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission. In 2024, she served on Senator Marco Rubio's Judicial Advisory Commission for the Southern District of Florida.

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