PALM BEACH GARDENS | The Guild of Catholic Lawyers of the Diocese of Palm Beach hosted a continuing-education session in Palm Beach Gardens Feb. 27, 2025, around the theme of “In the Church and in the Court.”
Following a welcome by Chad Hastings, guild president and a member of St. Peter Parish in Jupiter, and a prayer by the organization’s chaplain, Father Andrew Brierley, pastor of St. Luke in Palm Springs, they heard from Desmond Nichols, a former criminal prosecutor in Palm Beach County who recently started a new federal court position in Orlando. A former guild board member in the Diocese of Palm Beach and current member in Orlando, he spoke on how his Catholic faith impacts his work.
The justice system is supposed to achieve retribution, punishment, deterrence, incapacitation to remove offenders from society, and rehabilitation, said Nichols, who began his legal career in 2022. The 2,000-year history of Christianity offers a wealth of wisdom related to justice, crime and punishment, he added.
Drawing on quotes from the Bible (Rom 13:4, 1 Peter 2:13-15 and Jn 19:11), the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2266) and St. John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical “The Gospel of Life,” Nichols said, “We see the focus on punishment as just, it must be proportionate (to the crime) and it’s always to serve the end of rehabilitation. I was thinking about, in my own practice, what kind of questions have I wrestled with, being a Catholic and doing this kind of work? I just have a list of questions that I think every prosecutor, but especially Christian prosecutors, will come up with at some point, probably frequently.”
Such as, “What is the best interest of the community? How can justice be served for the victim? How do you treat a first-time offender? How do you treat somebody who has an addiction? Their free will is kind of lessened, in a sense, so they’re less culpable in a way. How do you treat somebody like that?” he asked. “When should the maximum penalty be sought, and when should a case be dropped or charges reduced? These are all questions I think that impinge on Christian principles.”
From his perspective, being a prosecutor is one of the best jobs in the world. “Every day you get the opportunity to do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason. There’s a tremendous gravity to the position,” Nichols said.
He compiled a list of ways that being a prosecutor can align with church teaching. “As a prosecutor, you are to seek justice; you are to show mercy; you’re to pursue the common good; you’re to speak truthfully; you’re to have integrity; you’re to grow in virtue, especially the virtue of prudence; and, probably the most important, you’re to love your fellow sinners,” he said. “Again, we come across people who have done horrific things, and you have to love them,” acknowledging that it can be incredibly difficult.
The latter part of the guild’s dinner gathering, which was supported by The Stone Quarry, a tile and marble supply company in Jupiter, was a presentation on Kairos Prison Ministry International, an interdenominational Christian ministry that aims to address the spiritual needs of incarcerated men, women and teens and their families. The presenters were Neil Speilholz, Monica Izquierdo and Deacon Frank Bandy of St. Paul of the Cross Parish in North Palm Beach.
For information on Kairos, visit www.kairosprisonministry.org. To learn about the Guild of Catholic Lawyers, contact Chad Hastings at c.hastings@hastings-lawfirm.com or connect on Facebook at Guild of Catholic Lawyers of the Diocese of Palm Beach.
