Aida Melendez was installed as a Magistrate Judge of the Superior Court of the

District of Columbia on April 7, 1997.

Judge Melendez graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 1978

with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice. She received her Juris Doctorate

from the Potomac School of Law in 1982. She was also a cadet in the Saint John’s

University ROTC program, where she received the Distinguished Military Student and

Distinguished Military Graduate awards. In 1978, she received her officer commission in

the United States Army Reserves.

Following law school, Judge Melendez worked as a Tax Law Specialist with the

Internal Revenue Service for three years. She then worked as a solo practitioner,

representing clients before the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, the Office of

Workers’ Compensation, the Industrial Commission of Virginia, and the Immigration and

Naturalization Service.

From 1988 to 1996, Judge Melendez served as a Trial Attorney for the District of

Columbia Office of the Corporation Counsel, renamed the Office of the Attorney General

(OAG), first in the Family Division and then in the Criminal Division. She then served

as an Attorney Advisor with the Office of Legal Counsel of the Office of the Corporation

Counsel, where her duties included: reviewing and drafting proposed legislation for the

District of Columbia; and drafting testimony for District of Columbia government

officials to present before the District of Columbia Council. Judge Melendez’s most

recent position prior to her appointment in the Superior Court was as the Chief of the

Office’s Child Support Section. For her service with the OAG, Judge Melendez received

a Corporation Counsel’s Certificate of Excellence, Special Achievement Award and

Certificate of Appreciation.

During her time with the OAG, Judge Melendez served as an Alternate Hearing

Committee Member on the Board of Professional Responsibility and on the Judicial

Nominating Committee of the Hispanic Bar Association. In October 1996, Judge

Melendez also produced a series of local public television programs called “Know Your

Rights” which familiarized viewers with the American judicial system.

As a judge in the Superior Court, Judge Melendez serves on several court

committees. She previously served as a member of the Strategic Leadership Planning

Committee, and as Chair of the Stakeholders Subcommittee and received a Certificate of

Appreciate. She is currently active in the Standing Committee on Fairness and Access to

the District of Columbia Courts.

Judge Melendez retired from the military on June 5, 2006. During her military

career, she served as the General Counsel for the Selective Service System National

Headquarters and as unit Commander of the Selective Service System, Region I. Her last

assignment was at the Pentagon. There she served as a Military Assistant for the Office

of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. She has

received several medals and awards, which include the Army Commendation Medal and

Army Achievement Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Joint Service

Commendation Medal and the Legion of Merit Medal. She has held office as the Reserve

Officers Association Vice President of Programs, responsible for the writing, editing, and

publishing the newsletter for the Reserve Officers Association.