Surrogate, New York County

Rita Mella is the sitting New York County Surrogate, elected to the bench in 2013 as the first Latina to preside over the New York County Surrogate's Court, per court records citing nycourts.gov. She began her judicial career as a New York County Civil Court judge in 2007, per the same records. Born in Santo Domingo, she moved to the United States at 22, earned a B.A. from the Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriquez Ureña, and a J.D. from CUNY School of Law in 1991, per the same records. She is unopposed on the Democratic line for reelection, per the NYC Board of Elections contest list. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.