Temika Hampton-Johnson 

Temika Hampton-Johnson is an attorney, public servant and community advocate with more than a decade of experience protecting rights, solving problems and upholding the law. Her career has spanned courtrooms, boardrooms and community meeting halls.

She has served as an assistant public defender, protecting the constitutional rights of indigent clients, a probation and parole officer, a military police officer and a family law attorney. 

Hampton-Johnson also has been a community and labor lawyer, advocating for fair treatment, safe workplaces and equitable collective bargaining rights for more than 20,000 Orange County teachers, nurses, bus drivers, custodians, food-service workers and other education professionals.

She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a Master of Business Administration from Stetson University. She received her juris doctorate from Florida A&M University's College of Law.

Mikaela Nix-Walker

Mikaela Nix-Walker is a Ninth Judicial Circuit Court judge, serving since 2021.

A trip to the courthouse with her father sparked her interest in law, leading her to shadow a judge. She moved to Orlando to attend the University of Central Florida, where she was a founding member of the Blue Key Honor Society and president of the UCF Black Alumni Association.

After graduating UCF with a Bachelor of Arts degree, she took a couple of years off to gain work experience before enrolling at Florida A&M University College of Law in 2006. She graduated in 2009 with a Juris Doctor degree and began practicing family law.

Nix-Walker was a managing partner at Nix Law, P.A., focusing on family law, including men’s and high-asset divorces, custody, child support, paternity, domestic violence, and mediation. She also is a certified Florida Supreme Court Family Law Mediator.

Nix-Walker has been active in the domestic relations division of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, contributing to court guidelines, mediation policies and procedures for self-represented litigants.

Christina Arguelles 

Christina Arguelles is a lifelong Floridian and an attorney with more than a decade of experience in Florida courtrooms.

Raised by an immigrant parent, she grew up with a deep respect for the rule of law, personal responsibility, and the importance of fair and consistent decision-making.

Arguelles earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and Juris Doctorate from Florida State University’s College of Law. During law school, she gained experience working in the 13th Judicial Circuit’s State Attorney’s Office, which provided exposure to criminal law and courtroom procedures. She also worked as a legislative fellow to the Judiciary Committee of the Florida Legislature, gaining early insight into public service.

For more than 10 years, she has practiced high-level litigation across a wide range of civil matters. She has represented clients in cases involving significant injuries, property claims, and matters involving probate and bankruptcy. 

Arguelles has managed cases from investigation through trial and has extensive courtroom experience, including multiple jury and bench trials before judges throughout Florida. Her experience provides a firsthand understanding of courtroom procedure and the judicial process.

Christie Lou Mitchell 

Christie Lou Mitchell is a lifelong Orlando resident and attorney specializing in family law.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida State University in 2006 and received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law. She became licensed to practice law in Florida in 2009.

Since then, she has been in private practice, dedicating her career to representing individuals and families in complex and often emotionally charged legal matters. Her practice has required frequent courtroom appearances and a deep understanding of both the law and the human impact of legal proceedings.

In 2021, Mitchell earned Board Certification in Marital and Family Law from The Florida Bar. Board Certification is a rigorous distinction requiring substantial experience, peer review and a comprehensive examination. 

Through years of legal practice, bar association leadership, and collaborative work with other attorneys and judges, Mitchel has gained a broad understanding of the issues faced by individuals, families, and businesses in our courts.

Kamilah Perry 

Kamilah Perry is chief legal counsel and chief administrator of office operations for the State Attorney’s Office.

She graduated with a Master of Business Administration degree and Juris Doctorate from Stetson University and Stetson University College of Law. 

She began a 23-year legal career as a business litigation attorney with two law firms, Carlton Fields, PA and Phelps Dunbar, LLP, practicing in the areas of labor and employment, insurance coverage, insurance defense, commercial litigation and business torts, products liability, white collar criminal defense and public utility matters.

In June 2014, she joined Jaimon H. Perry as a partner of the Perry Law Group, LLC, representing employers and employees in commercial litigation and employment matters out of the firm’s Tampa and Orlando offices. 

During her 24 years of law practice, Perry has become known for her proficiency in employment law and routinely provides complex legal training to employers in seminars, conferences and employment panel discussions. She also is an adjunct professor at Florida A&M College of Law, where she has taught classes in contract drafting and law office management.

Steve Kerestes 

Currently a prosecutor in the State Attorney’s Office, Steve Kerestes served in the military and has experience in both the private and public sectors. 

He has been a prosecutor, a defense attorney, a plaintiff's attorney representing clients in civil disputes, a civil defense attorney, local counsel and more. 

His first job as an attorney was serving the people of Orange and Osceola Counties at the State Attorney's Office for 10 years. Kerestes worked as both a line attorney and as a supervisor helping to guide new attorneys.  

He then went to work in the private sector at a large civil defense firm and then at a small civil firm handling first party property claims on behalf of businesses and homeowners. He has spent years of his working life in the courtroom and has taken more than 100 cases to trial. 

Kerestes served in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years, was deployed to 11 countries and later served for three years in the Florida Army National Guard. 

He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in business from the University of Florida, with a minor in Classical Studies. He received his Juris Doctorate degree from Barry University College of Law.

Judge Emerson R. Thompson, Jr.

Emerson R. Thompson, Jr. is a retired senior judge of the Florida courts, known for his long career in both trial and appellate judiciary roles, as well as his extensive service in legal education, pro bono work and civic leadership.

Thompson’s career spanned over four decades in Florida’s legal system, marked by leadership in judicial administration, commitment to pro bono service, and dedication to legal education and community service. 

Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Thompson earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Florida in 1970 and a Juris Doctor from the Florida State University College of Law in 1973.

Before entering the judiciary, Thompson served as Assistant State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit (1973–1976) and as a Circuit Judge in the Ninth Judicial Circuit (1980–1993), where he was elected Chief Judge from 1989 to 1991. He also served as a judge in Orange County Court (1976–1980).

In 1993, Thompson was appointed to the Fifth District Court of Appeal, serving as Chief Judge from 2000 to 2003.

Thompson has received recognition such as the National Endowment for Humanities Fellowship (1978), the Rotary International Group Exchange Program (1979), and the United Way Community Service Award (1977, 1978).

Thompson also has served as member and chair of the Florida Supreme Court Statistics and Workload Committee, a member of the Conference of District Court of Appeal Judges, member of the State Courts System Equal Employment Opportunity Committee, former member of the Florida Supreme Court Pro Bono Committee and Bench/Bar Commission and founding member and first president of the Central Florida American Inns of Court.

He also served on the Florida Bar Foundation board since 1995, including as president (1991–1993).