Associate Justice Melissa Long of the Rhode Island Supreme Court

7/01/2025

Associate Justice Melissa Long

c/o Rhode Island Supreme Court

Licht Judicial Complex

Providence County Courthouse

250 Benefit Street

Providence, RI  02903

Dear Associate Justice Long,

My name is Marr Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan and I have a strong interest in learning history, social justice, and criminal justice reform. In these subjects, I like to learn the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, have criminal justice reform to help protect people’s rights while reduce crime, and many others. Associate Justice Long, the main reason why I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work when you served as Associate Justice of The Rhode Island Superior Court and as current Associate Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court to be very inspiring to me.

When you served as Associate Justice of the The Rhode Island Superior Court from 2017-2021, I truly appreciated on how you were a strong supporter of civil rights by advocating for people with disabilities’ rights, pushing for strict sentencing for people who commit hate crimes to help protect minorities including people who are different, and investigating public places that practice different forms of discrimination. Supporting drug treatment programs to help drug users get the care they need to reduce drug abuse, expanding on resources to help victims of crime or victims of domestic violence get the help on dealing with their trauma,  and advocating with pushing for funds to improve DNA testing including forensic science to help solve evidence including cases efficiently while reduce sending an innocent person to jail is common sense for criminal justice reform. Also on criminal justice reform, I liked on how you worked on reforming juvenile justice like pushing for social workers including people who have expertise to help juveniles who come from poor families or have struggles with mental health or a disability to get help and advocate for the need for a mental health court to provide people who struggle with mental health to get into treatment instead of strict sentencing. In January 2021, I was amazed on how you made history on becoming the first African American woman to be on the Rhode Island Supreme Court. In your current role as Associate Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court,  I like on how you are a continuous strong supporter of civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights and criminal justice reform. Another thing that I like about your work in the Rhode Island Supreme Court is how you support protecting civil liberties like the 4th amendment to help protect people from unreasonable searches including the 6th amendment to know what the person is accused of a crime or know what evidence is against the accused.  Also I like on how you are an advocate of protecting voter’s rights from oppressions, express the need for ethics reform to reduce judicial or police misconduct in order to reduce corruption. 

Associate Justice Long, I have autism with a learning disability. Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different advanced subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts in different settings, and get teased. Also with my disability I have face some forms of discrimination in public places including settings due to having a disability. Your commitment to be a strong supporter of civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights really inspires me to work hard on my disability. Your role as former Associate Justice of The Rhode Island Superior Court and as current Associate Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court   helps give me motivation to continue to learn history, social justice, criminal justice reform, and ethics reform.  My future goal is to someday work in these areas to help emphasize the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, have criminal justice reform to help protect people’s rights while reduce crime, and many others. 

I strongly believe that you are making a great difference in the judicial system.  I’m very proud on how you are working hard to support civil rights, expand on ethics reform, push along with advocate for criminal justice reform. You truly inspire me to work hard on my disability, learn more about your work, and continue to learn different subjects.  I would like to meet you and take a tour of the Rhode Island Supreme Court because you truly inspire me and I appreciate your support for rights of people with disabilities including ideas to have criminal justice reform.  Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, working hard to make a great difference, and inspiring me. Please continue to advocate and push for common sense ideas to help improve the judicial system.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick