2026 New York General Election

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BadRequest

Rita Mella

Alejandra Gracias

# Rita Mella
Judge Rita Mella was born and raised in Santo Domingo and moved to New York City in the 1980s. She came to the United States when she was 22 years old, on a scholarship to the University of Florida, and received her J.D. degree from the City University of New York Law School in 1991.

Rita Mella | The City College of New York

Rita Mella was born and raised in Santo Domingo and moved to New York City in the 1980s. She earned a law degree from the City University of New York Law School in 1991.

Rita Mella | The City College of New York - CUNY

# Rita Mella
Judge Rita Mella was born and raised in Santo Domingo and moved to New York City in the 1980s. She came to the United States when she was 22 years old, on a scholarship to the University of Florida, and received her J.D. degree from the City University of New York Law School in 1991. Mella served as court attorney and law clerk for Hon. Richard Rivera of the Kings County Family, Civil and Supreme Courts until 2002 and for Hon. Margarita López Torres of the Kings County Surrogate's and Criminal Courts through 2006.

Rita Mella previously worked as a court attorney and law clerk for judges in the Kings County Family, Civil, Supreme, Surrogate's, and Criminal Courts.

# Rita Mella
Judge Rita Mella was born and raised in Santo Domingo and moved to New York City in the 1980s. She came to the United States when she was 22 years old, on a scholarship to the University of Florida, and received her J.D. degree from the City University of New York Law School in 1991. Mella served as court attorney and law clerk for Hon. Richard Rivera of the Kings County Family, Civil and Supreme Courts until 2002 and for Hon. Margarita López Torres of the Kings County Surrogate's and Criminal Courts through 2006. She was elected to the Civil Court in 2006, and served in Criminal Court for the next seven years. In 2012, Judge Mella became the first Latina elected to sit on the prestigious New York County Surrogate's Court in Manhattan.

Rita was elected to the Civil Court in 2006.

Served as a court attorney and law clerk for Kings County judges in Family, Civil, Supreme, Surrogate's, and Criminal Courts through 2006.

Legal Experience

Believes judges must be independent, impartial, and free from partisan or parochial concerns.

More fundamentallv, the public must have confidence that iudges are independent, impartial. and blind to partisan or parochial concerns. Without that confidence. iudges cannot truly do their iobs. The iudicial selection process bears tremendously on whether that confidence is earned, or deserved.

Mella-Surrogate3.pdf (Citizens Union Candidate Questionnaire: Surrogate's Court, Primary Election 2012)

Believes courts earn public respect by treating people with dignity and applying laws consistently, fairly, and with respect.

The authority of the iudiciarv is in large e art dependent on the respect and consent of the governed. That respect must be earned bv guarding the dignity of those who come before us, and bv consistentlv. fairly, and respectfully applying the laws we are bound to uphold.

Judicial Philosophy

## Motions Before Surrogate Rita Mella

For noticing motions and setting their returned date at a calendar before Surrogate Mella, please use the “Notice of Motion” template provided below. Instructions for using the template are included in it.

The use of this template will assist the court’s staff in efficiently and promptly processing and calendaring motions. There may be delays if a litigant files a motion without using the appropriate template.

Surrogate Mella's Process for Filing Motions in New York County Surrogate's Court | New York Courts

Prioritizes efficient court operations, faster review, and improved public service.

Part of this fair treatment in the context of Surrogate's Court proceedings is that matters be decided efficiently to ensure that surviving family members and beneficiaries do not have to wait for years to receive what they are entitled to, or that those seeking to adopt or obtain guardianship of a child or incapacitated Person are able to finalize their affairs in an exueditious manner so that they can resume their lives. With that goal in mind. priority should be given to ma kin^ the operations of the court more efficient, expediting the review process, and better serving the public.

Plans to make Surrogate's Court more accessible to lawyers and the public.

Third, I know the court and its challenges, and I have the energv and vision to improve the court. In particular, I plan to work hard to make the court more accessible to a broader section of the population of the city - both lawvers and the public. As much as any other, the Surrogate's Court is a "people's court," that must serve all of the residents of Manhattan.

Proposes a court website with case information in several languages to expand access.

The creation of a website which. in basic terms, provides comprehensive information about each of the twes of cases and proceedings handled by the court would immediately make the court more accessible to a significantly larger section of the population. The information provided would be translated into several langua~es and would be directed to the diverse classes of individuals who need the court's services: the families of deceased individuals, those seeking guardianship or to adopt a child, service providers and creditors of deceased individuals and those who were harmed in any way by a deceased person's actions, among others.

Directs litigants to use a motion-notice template to support prompt processing and scheduling.

- Directs litigants to use a motion-notice template to support prompt processing and scheduling.

Judicial Administration

As of October 15, 2026, Rita Mella’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Ethics & Conduct

Community Involvement

-  The Surrogate's Court can hear cases related to establishing the validity of wills, the administration of estates, and adoptions.
- Each of New York's 62 counties has one surrogate judge, except New York County and Kings County which have two each.
- Surrogate judges serve 10-year terms, except in the five counties of New York City, where they serve 14-year terms.
- Surrogate judges are elected countywide and required to be residents of the county they serve.
- Their salaries range from $119,800 to $136,700 depending on the county.

Oversees probate, estate administration, and adoptions.