Tanya Brinkley
Judge, Miami-Dade County
Judge Tanya Brinkley was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, and is a graduate of University of Miami School of Law, and Howard University School of Business. In law school, she interned for United States District Judge of the Southern District of Florida Donald Graham, for the Miami-Dade County Public Defender’s Office, and for Pitts, Handfield, and Valentine, P.A. During her legal career, Judge Brinkley practiced law at Brinkley & Henrys, P.A., for 16 years, where she litigated complex criminal, family, and civil law. In a quasi-judicial role, she also served as a Civil Traffic Infraction Hearing Officer from 2004 to 2012. In 2012, Judge Brinkley was elected to the Miami-Dade County Court, and in 2019 was elevated by Governor Ron DeSantis to the 11th Judicial Circuit Court. She has successfully won a countywide judicial election and was re-elected without opposition as both a county and circuit court judge. Judge Brinkley currently serves in the criminal division, after serving in the county civil and criminal divisions, and as the Associate Administrative Judge of the domestic violence division.
Judge Brinkley has been honored by Legacy Magazine as one of the 25 Most Influential and Prominent Black Women in Business in South Florida, and one of the 2017 Women of Substance by Miami-Dade County Black Affairs Advisory Board and Commission for Women, as well as various other organizations for her prior legal work, service to the community, and judicial commitment. She served on the 2018 Miami-Dade County Canvassing Board presiding over Florida’s historic triple recount, and many other canvassing boards for several years. Judge Brinkley has also served on the City of Miami Civilian Review Board, the City of Miami Asset Review Board, and Florida Bar Traffic Rules Committee. Her community involvement extends from youth mentoring through countless organizations, legal mentoring of law students and young lawyers, work with the sickle cell anemia community, and other community organizations.
Judge Brinkley contributes a substantial amount of her leadership time to mentoring and education. She is actively involved in the National Bar Association (NBA) Judicial Council where she serves on the CJE/Education Committee and has led and presented numerous judicial education panels. Judge Brinkley is the chair of the 11th Judicial Circuit ABA Judicial Internship Opportunities Program (JIOP) creating opportunities for judicial internships for minority law students. She serves on the Florida Bar Committees on Student Education and Admission to the Bar and the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Judge Brinkley is also an appointee to the Florida Supreme Court Standing Committee on Fairness and Diversity, where she serves as the Technology Committee chair, and on the education and outreach committees. She is proud of her leadership in the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ) where she serves as the District 5 Director overseeing membership, programming and outreach in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Judge Brinkley is also a Florida Office of State Courts (OSCA) judicial faculty member and is involved in the education of Florida judges. Through her extensive domestic violence judicial experience and leadership, for many years she has taught continuing medical education to medical doctors related to identifying victims of domestic violence.
Judge Brinkley currently serves on the Dade County Bar Association Professionalism Committee and has chaired many committees related to the annual Women of Distinction Gala. She is also a judicial advisor for KidSide, Inc., and a member of the Wilkie D. Ferguson Lawyers Association, Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association, Cuban American Bar Association, the Florida Association of Women Lawyers, and the Virgil Hawkins Bar Association. Judge Brinkley regularly volunteers for countless projects that improve the court system, judicial education, community access, and the lives of children and young adults. She is committed to professionalism, mentorship, and leadership that contributes to the improvement of the judiciary, the court, and the community.
