The Hon. Fernando Camacho to Deliver Touro Law Commencement Address
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The Hon. Fernando Camacho to Deliver Touro Law Commencement Address
May 6, 2019Touro Law Center’s 2019 Commencement speaker is the Hon. Fernando Camacho, Supreme Court Justice, Suffolk County 10th District, whose life journey has taken him from flight from Castro’s Cuba to a seat on the State Supreme Court bench. Touro Law’s commencement will be held on Sunday, May 26 at noon at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Greenvale, Long Island, NY. Justice Camacho will also be receiving an honorary Doctor of Laws from Touro.
This year’s ceremony will honor 114 J.D. candidates, including 15 who completed their degree requirements in December 2018, as well as 8 graduates of the LL.M. in US Legal Studies program, 5 of whom completed their studies in December.
Law Center Dean Harry Ballan stated, “In his work as a prosecutor and on the bench, Judge Camacho has embodied the highest ideals of the profession of law. His commitment to justice for all and his special interest in juvenile justice are an inspiration to many. It is a privilege to honor him at our Commencement.”
The Honorable Fernando Camacho was born in Cuba and came to the United States at the age of nine. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Columbia University and attended Fordham Law School where he graduated in 1985. Directly after law school, he joined the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and spent several years in the Trial Division and the Sex Crimes Unit. In 1989, Justice Camacho was promoted to Senior Trial Counsel and assigned to the Homicide Investigation Unit, a joint state and federal task force that targeted some of the most violent gangs in New York City.
In 1997, he was appointed to the bench and served four years in Kings County Criminal Court before transferring to Queens County in 2002. While in Queens County, he served as the Deputy Supervising Judge, presided over the Domestic Violence Court and created the first Human Trafficking Court for victims of sex trafficking charged with prostitution.
In 2008, he was appointed to the New York State Court of Claims and served as an Acting Supreme Court Justice in the Integrated Domestic Violence Part in Queens County Supreme Court. In May 2009, the New York State Chief Judge named Judge Camacho the Administrative Judge for Criminal Matters in Queens County. While serving as Administrative Judge, he created the Queens County Youth Diversion Court, a specialized court for adolescents charged with felony offenses. In January 2013, he was assigned to Suffolk County Supreme Court.
For the past six years, he has worked to develop the Suffolk County Felony Youth Part, which provides alternatives to incarceration for youth charged with felonies by connecting these young people to community resources and support. He also has a long history of community involvement, most recently partnering with Touro Law on an innovative program to introduce Brentwood High School students to legal training and courtroom advocacy.
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Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law is located adjacent to both a state and a federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York. Touro Law’s proximity to the courthouses, coupled with programming developed to integrate the courtroom into the classroom, provide a one-of-a kind learning experience for law students, combining a rigorous curriculum taught by expert faculty with a practical courtroom experience. Touro Law is dedicated to providing hands-on learning that enables students to gain experience while offering much-needed legal services in the community.
Touro Law, which has an alumni base of more than 6,500, offers full- and part-time J.D. programs where students can earn a degree in 2, 3 or 4 years and provides four areas of concentration Additionally, Touro offers a hybrid, four-year FlexTime Program combining online and on campus learning. Touro Law offers several dual degree programs and graduate law programs for US and foreign law graduates. Touro Law Center is part of the Touro College system.
About the Touro College and University System
Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 18,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has 30 campuses and locations in New York, California, Nevada, Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College; Touro University California and its Nevada branch campus; Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division; as well as Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Ill. are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please go to: http://www.touro.edu/news/.
Patti Desrochers
Director of Communications
pattid@tourolaw.edu
(631) 761-7062