The Hon. Melissa L. Barrett is a judge for the Rochester City Court in the Seventh Judicial District of New York. She was appointed to the bench by Mayor Lovely Warren in 2018. She filled the vacancy created by the removal of the Hon. Leticia Astacio from the bench.
Judge Barrett received her B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany in 1991. She went on to earn her J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School in 1995.
Barrett’s legal experience includes working as an assistant district counsel for the U.S. Small Business Administration as well as an assistant public defender for the Monroe County Public Defender’s Office.
Prior to her appointment to the City Court, Barrett had served as a principal court attorney for the Rochester City Court since 2004.
Her memberships have included the Rochester Black Bar Association’s JustLaw Program and the Rochester Chapter of The Links Incorporated. She has also served as president of the Deaconess Ministry at Aenon Missionary Baptist Church and a board member of the Zoning Board of Appeals for the Town of Perinton.
Judge Barrett’s judicial committees in the Seventh Judicial District have included serving on the Administrative Judge Training Task Force, the Workforce Diversity Committee, and the Employee Interviewing Panels.
Barrett has served as a volunteer for the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Science Technology Entry Program and with the Genesee Street Business Corridor.
In 2005, Barrett graduated from the United Way of Rochester African American Leadership Development Program.
In her free time, she enjoys gardening and cooking.