--- title: "Melissa A. Long | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/melissa-a-long-justice-rhode-island-supreme-court-ri" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Melissa A. Long Supreme Court of Rhode Island · Justice ## Profile - Court: Supreme Court of Rhode Island - State: Rhode Island - Role: Justice - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-08-22 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Rhode Island Supreme Court (2021–present): Current Associate Justice - Rhode Island Supreme Court since January 11, 2021, after being nominated by Governor Gina Raimondo on December 8, 2020, to replace Justice Francis X. Flaherty, who retired on December 31, 2020. - Associate Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, appointed in 2021 as the court’s first African American justice and the first to serve on a female‐majority bench - Rhode Island Superior Court (2017–2021): Appointed by Governor Raimondo in 2017 to replace Justice Patricia A. Hurst - Law clerk to Virginia Circuit Court Judge Marcus D. Williams - The first person of color on the court and, with Justice Erin Lynch Prata, helped create its first female majority ### Education - JD — George Mason University School of Law — 1995 — George Mason University School of Law, JD, 1995; bio-6ccf17352b7d; user_supplied_research - University of Virginia B.A. in 1992 and a George Mason University J.D. in 1995. - BA — University of Virginia — 1992 — University of Virginia, BA, 1992; bio-6ccf17352b7d; user_supplied_research - Antonin Scalia Law School ### Additional information - Melissa A. Long joined Rhode Island Superior Court on October 12, 2017, and the Supreme Court on January 11, 2021. - Former Rhode Island deputy secretary of state. - Her earlier career included a Virginia judicial clerkship, public-interest and public-service work, and nearly three years as Rhode Island deputy secretary of state. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### cell phone use Scope: courtwide Rhode Island Supreme Court courthouse rules prohibit cellular telephone use in courtrooms and prohibit cell-phone camera and video use in the courthouse. Evidence excerpt: Cellular telephone use is strictly prohibited in the courtrooms. Cellular telephone camera and video is strictly prohibited in the courthouse. [Supreme Court Courthouse Rules](https://www.courts.ri.gov/Public-Resources/Documents/Your%20Day%20In%20Court/Courthouse%20Rules%20February%205,%202024.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### recording equipment Scope: courtwide Rhode Island courthouse rules list photographic and audio-visual equipment, including cameras and audio or video recorders, as prohibited items. Evidence excerpt: No photographic or audio-visual equipment of any type, including cameras, video, or audio recorders or players. [Supreme Court Courthouse Rules](https://www.courts.ri.gov/Public-Resources/Documents/Your%20Day%20In%20Court/Courthouse%20Rules%20February%205,%202024.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courts.ri.gov/Opinions/Supreme-25-82.pdf) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.ri.gov/Opinions/Supreme-25-82.pdf) - [Rhode Island Judiciary official judicial roster](https://www.courts.ri.gov/Opinions/Supreme-25-82.pdf) - [Calendars and Public Access to Court Hearings](https://www.courts.ri.gov/Pages/PublicAccessCourtHearings.aspx) - [Supreme Court Courthouse Rules](https://www.courts.ri.gov/Public-Resources/Documents/Your%20Day%20In%20Court/Courthouse%20Rules%20February%205,%202024.pdf) - [Official biography source for Melissa A. Long](https://www.courts.ri.gov/Public-Resources/Documents/JudicialRoster.pdf) - [Wikidata: Melissa A. Long](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q104172927) - [Supreme Court Courthouse Rules, revised February 2024](https://www.courts.ri.gov/Public-Resources/Documents/Your%20Day%20In%20Court/Courthouse%20Rules%20February%205,%202024.pdf) - [Official biography source for Melissa A. Long](https://www.courts.ri.gov/Public-Resources/Documents/JudicialRoster.pdf) - [Wikidata: Melissa A. Long](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q104172927) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/melissa-a-long-justice-rhode-island-supreme-court-ri", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/melissa-a-long-justice-rhode-island-supreme-court-ri", "name": "Melissa A. Long | KnowJudges", "description": "Melissa A. Long, Supreme Court of Rhode Island. 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