Following law school graduation, Williams became a
law clerk for the firm of Colson & Hicks, P.A. in
Miami, Florida, from 1980 – 1982. From 1982 – 1984 she was an
associate attorney with Fowler, White, Burnett, Hurley, Banick & Strickroot The United States Senate confirmed Williams by
unanimous consent on August 2, 2011. She received her judicial commission on August 4, 2011. Her order was then vacated by a divided panel of the
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in June 2020. In August 2025, Williams ruled in favor of a coalition of
environmental groups and the
Miccosukee Tribe of Indians, ordering that the
immigration detention facility known as
Alligator Alcatraz be closed within 60 days and that no new detainees be brought to the facility, due to the irreparable harm that the facility was causing to the
Florida Everglades. This ruling was stayed pending appeal by the
11th Circuit Court of Appeals. ==References==