Rhode Island Supreme Court

Rhode Island Supreme Court
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Court name	Rhode Island Supreme Court
Established	1747
Location	Providence, Rhode Island
Authority	Constitution of Rhode Island
Terms	Life tenure (until age 70)
Chiefjudgename	Paul A. Suttell
Termstart	2009
Website	Official website

Rhode Island Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the U.S. state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. The court, which traces its history to the colonial era, consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices. It primarily exercises appellate jurisdiction over decisions from the Rhode Island Superior Court and has discretionary review over certain rulings from the Rhode Island Family Court and the Rhode Island Workers' Compensation Court.

History

The court's origins date to the colonial charter granted by King Charles II in 1663, which authorized the General Assembly of Rhode Island to establish courts. A formal appellate body, initially called the Superior Court of Judicature, was created by the assembly in 1729. The modern court was formally established in 1747. Following the American Revolution, its operations were continued under the state's first constitution. The court's structure and powers were further defined by the Rhode Island Constitution of 1843. A significant reorganization occurred in 1994, when its mandatory appellate jurisdiction was limited, allowing it to focus on cases of greater public importance. Throughout its history, the court has been housed in several locations, including the former Rhode Island State House and the Providence County Courthouse.

Jurisdiction and powers

The court possesses final appellate jurisdiction over all questions of law and equity arising from cases within the state. It reviews final judgments and certain interlocutory orders from the Rhode Island Superior Court. The court also has discretionary jurisdiction to review certified questions from the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and writs of certiorari for final orders of the Rhode Island Family Court and the Rhode Island Workers' Compensation Court. It holds general supervisory and administrative authority over all courts in the state's unified judiciary, a power vested in the Chief Justice. The court is responsible for promulgating rules governing practice and procedure for all state courts, as well as the Code of Judicial Conduct for the Rhode Island Judiciary.

Current justices

The bench comprises five justices who are selected through a hybrid appointive-elective process. Justices are nominated by the governor from a list provided by the bipartisan Rhode Island Judicial Nominating Commission. After confirmation by both chambers of the Rhode Island General Assembly, a justice serves an initial term before standing in a retention election. Subsequent terms are for life, with a mandatory retirement age of seventy. The current Chief Justice is Paul A. Suttell, appointed by Governor Donald Carcieri. The Associate Justices are Maureen McKenna Goldberg, appointed by Governor Lincoln Almond; William P. Robinson III, appointed by Governor Lincoln Almond; Erin Lynch Prata, appointed by Governor Gina Raimondo; and the most recent appointee, Melissa A. Long, appointed by Governor Daniel McKee.

Notable cases

The court has issued landmark rulings on a wide array of state constitutional and common law issues. In the early case of *Trevett v. Weeden (1786), the court asserted the power of judicial review years before *Marbury v. Madison*. In *State v. Cline* (1994), it established the "raise-or-waive" rule for preserving objections at trial. The court's decision in *Champlin's Realty Associates v. Tillson* (2006) clarified standards for administrative agency review. More recently, in *In re Request for Advisory Opinion from the House of Representatives* (2002), it advised on the scope of legislative powers. The court has also shaped tort law, as seen in *Mills v. State Sales, Inc.* (1999), and property rights, as in *Ponte v. Citizens Bank* (2007).

Courthouse

The court sits in the Rhode Island Licht Judicial Complex at 250 Benefit Street in Providence. This building, completed in 2004, was named in honor of former Chief Justice Joseph R. Weisberger. The complex also houses the Rhode Island Superior Court and other judicial offices. The court's historic former home is the majestic Providence County Courthouse, an 1877 Henry Hobson Richardson design located at 250 Benefit Street, which now serves as the state's main judicial building and remains a noted example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. The court's library, the Rhode Island Law Library, is a public law library located within the judicial complex. Category:Rhode Island state courts Category:State supreme courts of the United States Category:Government of Rhode Island Category:1747 establishments in Rhode Island