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NEWS JULY 27, 2020 ¦ 5

Judge Melanie Cradle
Judge Cradle, 49, of Durham, Connecticut, has
served on the Superior Court since 2013, and will be
the first African-American woman to serve on the
Appellate Court.
Cradle heard criminal cases in Bridgeport for a
year before moving to the New Haven Judicial Dis-
trict in 2014. In 2015, she became the presiding judge
in GA 23 in New Haven. She also serves on the Law
Library Advisory Committee, the Rules Commit-
tee of the Superior Court, and the Criminal Justice
Commission. She is a member of the New Haven Inn
of Court, is a James W. Cooper Fellow with the Con-
necticut Bar Foundation and is an adjunct professor
at Quinnipiac University School of Law.
Before her appointment to the bench, Cradle was
senior assistant state’s attorney for the Ansonia/Mil-
ford Judicial District. She also served as assistant
state’s attorney in New Haven and an adjunct pro-
fessor at Housatonic Community College.
Cradle has served as a member of the National
College of District Attorneys, the National Asso-
ciation 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.
Cradle earned her bachelor’s degree from Adelphi
University in 1993, and her juris doctor from Seton Judge Christine E. Keller

Hall University School of Law in 1998. Before joining the bench, Suarez worked in the
Connecticut Office of the Attorney General, includ-
ing in the office’s Child Protection Unit, where he
Judge Jose A. Suarez
Judge Suarez, 54, is a resident of Chester, Con- handled complex child protection matters. In 2003,
necticut and has served on the Superior Court since he transferred to the office’s Environment Depart-
2009. He has been the administrative judge for the ment, handling state and national climate change
Middlesex Judicial District since 2017. During his matters.
first three years on the bench, Suarez served in the Suarez was born in Puerto Rico and moved to
Tolland Judicial District, where he heard criminal Connecticut with his family at the age of 11. He
and family matters. earned his bachelor’s degree from University of
From 2012 to 2015, he was assigned to the Hart- Dayton in 1989, and his juris doctor from UConn
ford Judicial District and presided over criminal School of Law in 1993.
jury trials. From 2015 to 2017, he was the presid- ¦

ing judge for the Hartford Judicial District Family Michael Marciano is bureau chief of the Con-
Division. As a Superior Court judge, Suarez has au- necticut Law Tribune. He can be reached at
thored more than 90 opinions and has presided over [email protected] or call 646-957-3022. On
50 jury trials. Twitter: @BreakingCTLaw

CONNECTICUT
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