Melanie L. Cradle (born 1970/1971) is the chief judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court.

Education

Cradle earned her bachelor's degree from Adelphi University in 1993, and her Juris Doctor from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1998.

Judicial career

Connecticut Superior Court

Cradle was appointed to the superior court by Governor Dannel Malloy in 2013. She has heard criminal cases in Bridgeport for a year before moving to the New Haven Judicial District in 2014. In 2015, she became the presiding judge in GA 23 in New Haven. Cradle also serves on the Law Library Advisory Committee, the Rules Committee of the Superior Court, and the Criminal Justice Commission.

Connecticut Appellate Court

On July 20, 2020, Governor Ned Lamont announced the appointment of Cradle to the Connecticut Appellate Court to the seat being vacated by Judge Robert J. Devlin Jr. who reached mandatory retirement age in April 2020. Upon her appointment, Judge Cradle became the first African-American woman to serve on the Appellate Court. She was appointed as chief judge in March 2025.

Connecticut Supreme Court

On June 15, 2026, Governor Lamont announced the appointment of Cradle to the Connecticut Supreme Court to the seat being vacated by Justice Joan K. Alexander, who is resigning to focus on her role as Chief Court Administrator. If confirmed, Cradle would become the first African-American woman to serve on the Connecticut Supreme Court.

Memberships

Cradle has served as a member of the National College of District Attorneys, the National Association of Black Prosecutors, the Ansonia/Milford Multidisciplinary Team, and the State of Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice Diversity Committee. She was also a mentor for the Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity.

Personal

At her original confirmation hearing, Cradle noted that her parents married in 1967, the year when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down laws prohibiting interracial marriage in Loving v. Virginia, the state where her father lived before entering the U.S. Army. Her parents met while her father was a serviceman overseas.

References

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