She worked as a trial attorney in the International Trade Field Office of the United States Department of Justice in New York City from 1983 to 1986.
She was a member of the Treasury Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the United States Customs Service from 1995 to 1998.
In that opinion, Judge Barzilay addressed whether certain X-Men action figures were toys, rather than dolls, for customs classification purposes because the action figures represented "nonhuman creatures,"[5][6] lowering the tariff rate from 12 percent to 6.8 percent.
The decision generated significant media attention, disappointed legions of X-Men fans,[7] and yielded further discussion in academic circles.
While serving an active judge of the United States Court of International Trade, Barzilay issued approximately 209 opinions.