Melissa Rodriguez

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Melissa Rodriguez

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Nonpartisan

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2029

Years in position

2

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

June 7, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

National University, 1999

Personal

Birthplace

Vermont

Profession

Supervising Deputy District Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Melissa Rodriguez is a judge of the Superior Court of San Bernardino County in California. She assumed office on January 2, 2023. Her current term ends on January 8, 2029.

Rodriguez won election for judge of the Superior Court of San Bernardino County in California outright in the primary on June 7, 2022, after the general election was canceled.

Rodriguez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Melissa Rodriguez was born in Green Bay, Vermont. She earned a bachelor's degree from National University in 1999. Her career experience includes working as a supervising deputy district attorney.

Elections

2022

See also: Municipal elections in San Bernardino County, California (2022)

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Superior Court of San Bernardino County

Melissa Rodriguez won election outright against James McGee in the primary for Superior Court of San Bernardino County on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Melissa Rodriguez (Nonpartisan)	71.7	159,578
	Submit photo	James McGee (Nonpartisan)	28.3	63,114

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 222,692
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Melissa Rodriguez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rodriguez's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Career prosecutor who has sought justice for victims in San Bernardino, CA. I have worked cases involving the most vulnerable victims, children, for the majority of my career. I am currently a Supervising Deputy District Attorney for our Juvenile and Human Trafficking Units, as well as the Officer-Involved Shooting Unit. I have volunteered for many different organizations within the county, including Fontana Leadership Program and Rialto Pride Platoon.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Return to law and order
• Accountability for actions
• Hard-working, fair, honest and ethical

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I have worked in the area of human trafficking for many years. There are many young women who start out as victims and then, in order to protect themselves, they become engaged in conduct which is criminal and serves to insulate their traffickers. I think that we need many more services for adult victims of human trafficking and need to hold those accountable who commit these horrific crimes. In addition, I believe that the rehabilitation of juveniles should include some level of restorative justice to repair the damage that has been caused to victims and their families.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event in my lifetime that I recall is the assassination of Ronald Reagan in 1981. I was 11 at the time, and I recall my parents standing around the television and being in a state of shock over the news.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins. I love the message of anyone can do anything, that each one of us has the capacity to achieve whatever we want, no matter what the odds against us may be. If we put our head down and push, we can train our brains to be whatever we want. The message is so extremely powerful.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I went to law school later in life. When I was raised, it was not ever talked about that college was something we should do. Neither of my parents were college educated, so my path to college was something that I did later in life. I had two children when I went to law school, and had to struggle to make it through.

Is there a particular judge, past or present, whom you admire?

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a judge that I admire. She paved the way for many women in the legal field. She was in favor of gender equality and no matter what happened to her, she continued to fight in the face of adversity. She is truly a woman who embodied all of the professional attributes that I admire of women who work and have families.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

It is important to take an approach that is not a one size fits all. There are situations that call for empathy; not all people make the best judgements when faced with difficult situations in life.

What is your primary concern about today's legal system in your state?

My primary concern about the legal system here is that we are entirely too lenient of criminal activity. We continue to change the laws in a manner that favors criminal offenders and removes rights of victims.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2022 Elections

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Government

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Newsletters

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External links

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Candidate

Superior Court of San Bernardino County

Website

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Footnotes

California courts

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Federal courts:

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California

State courts:

California Supreme Court • California Courts of Appeal • California Superior Courts

State resources:

Courts in California • California judicial elections • Judicial selection in California