Melissa Long is a judge of the Rhode Island Supreme Court. She assumed office on January 11, 2021. Gov. Gina Raimondo nominated Long on December 8, 2020, to replace Justice Francis X. Flaherty. The Rhode Island Senate confirmed Long on December 18, 2020. The justices on the Rhode Island Supreme Court hold office for life. Before her appointment to the state supreme court, Long was a judge on the Rhode Island Superior Court from 2017 to 2021. She previously worked as deputy secretary of state in the Rhode Island Department of State and as senior legal counsel with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation. Long is the first Black justice and the first person of color to serve on the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
