RETIRED JUDGE MELVIA GREEN: Wearing blue, above, she mentored countless young lawyers, championed access to justice, and focused on due process and dignity for all in her courtroom, said Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kionne McGhee, who sponsored the street renaming for Green. “Through hard work in school, college, and law school, she built a career grounded in civil rights, accountability, and unwavering integrity,” he said. PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

By David L. Snelling

Miami – Retired Judge Melvia Green, who broke racial barriers in Florida’s judicial system, has a street named in her honor.

During a recent ceremony, South Dade residents and the judiciary community turned out to celebrate her achievements and unveiled Judge Melvia Green Terrace at SW 103 Avenue and 146 Terrace.

Green grew up on the same block as the street sign in Richmond Heights.

“From a young age, she was curious, kind, and devoted to helping her neighbors, traits that would guide her path to law and public service,” said Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kionne McGhee, himself an attorney, who sponsored a resolution to rename the street for Green.

“Through hard work in school, college, and law school, she built a career grounded in civil rights, accountability, and unwavering integrity.”

McGhee said as a judge, Green has mentored countless young lawyers, championed access to justice, and focused on due process and dignity for all in her courtroom.

“This street naming connects her roots to her remarkable work, proving that home becomes a national story when its people commit to justice.

It inspires local youth to dream big, study hard, and give back,” he said.

Green said her legal career was built on inspiration.

“Little boys and girls who look like me don’t inspire to become lawyers or judges for that matter,” she said. “When I became a judge, it was a dream come true. I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life. I knew that was my calling.”

Green said people’s lives are not counted by the number of breaths they take. “But our lives are measured by those moments in our lives which take our breaths away,” she said. “Today is truly such a moment for me. Thank you all.”

Ronald Smith, founding pastor at Community Bible Baptist Church in Miami, said he and Green grew up together in the same neighborhood. He said he knew she would become a judge one day because she was determined to achieve her goal.

“Congratulations to my fellow Richmond Heighter and my fellow band member at Miami Killian Sr. High School marching and concert bands,” Smith said. “It’s an honor well deserved.”

Green’s legal career was marked by her significant contributions to the judiciary and the community.

She was the first Black female circuit court judge in Florida, and also the first African American female assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Florida.

Her appointment to the Florida Third District Court of Appeal in 1994 made her the first African American woman to serve on that court.

Green was admitted to the Florida Bar on April 21, 1979, after graduating from the University of Miami School of Law.

Green also served on the Miami-Dade County Court after her appointment by then-Gov. Bob Martinez in 1987.

In 2008, Green retired from the Third District Court of Appeal.

She also served the State of Florida as a Dade County Judge and an Eleventh Circuit Court judge, with a combined 21 years of judicial service.

In 2016, Green became one of a select few individuals who received the prestigious Legal Legend Award, an honor bestowed upon her by the HistoryMiami Museum and the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Historical Society.

The annual award recognizes members of the legal community and community activists who have made substantial contributions to the law, legal system and administration of justice in South Florida for at least 25 years.

Green’s post-judicial work as a mediator, arbitrator and special master has been recognized as reflecting her ongoing commitment to resolving legal disputes and serving the community, even as her dedication to the legal profession as a mentor and role model continue to influence the next generation of legal professionals.