Rhode Island Supreme Court Decisions
Founded in 1747, the Rhode Island Supreme Court holds jurisdiction over appeals that involve any legal or constitutional questions. It also oversees the practice of law in Rhode Island, including admission to the state bar and discipline for attorneys and judges who engage in misconduct. Five justices serve on the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and their tenure lasts for life. This is similar to federal judges but different from most justices on state supreme courts. Rhode Island does not impose a mandatory retirement age on its judges. In 2012, a Stanford University study found that the Rhode Island Supreme Court was the eighth-most liberal state supreme court in the U.S.
When a vacancy arises on the Court, the Judicial Nominating Commission must develop a list of three to five candidates. It will present that list to the Governor of Rhode Island, who will appoint one of the candidates. Any appointments are subject to the approval of the Rhode Island House of Representatives and the Rhode Island Senate. A justice may face removal only if they are impeached by the House of Representatives and convicted in a trial in the Senate.
The Rhode Island Supreme Court has decided several cases that have influenced the evolution of key legal principles. For example, a 1786 decision on the validity of paper currency found that the actions of the legislature were unconstitutional. This helped lay the foundation for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that courts have the authority to strike down legislative actions on constitutional grounds. For another example, a 1974 decision shaped the development of contract law by ruling that a service contract does not require additional consideration to be modified. In 1995, the Rhode Island Supreme Court issued a decision in a tort case that set out an influential definition of battery.
- 2025 (12)
- 2024 (74)
- 2023 (70)
- 2022 (71)
- 2021 (86)
- 2020 (62)
- 2019 (101)
- 2018 (90)
- 2017 (100)
- 2016 (94)
- 2015 (85)
- 2014 (115)
- 2013 (133)
- 2012 (133)
- 2011 (116)
- 2010 (88)
- 2009 (93)
- 2008 (93)
- 2007 (93)
- 2006 (116)
- 2005 (135)
- 2004 (149)
- 2003 (183)
- 2002 (170)
- 2001 (106)
- 2000 (197)
- 1999 (43)
- 1998 (156)
- 1997 (195)
- 1996 (175)
- 1995 (150)
- 1994 (138)
- 1993 (119)
- 1992 (142)
- 1991 (134)
- 1990 (126)
- 1989 (126)
- 1988 (114)
- 1987 (148)
- 1986 (134)
- 1985 (118)
- 1984 (151)
- 1983 (164)
- 1982 (155)
- 1981 (155)
- 1980 (181)
- 1979 (163)
- 1978 (150)
- 1977 (164)
- 1976 (145)
- 1975 (143)
- 1974 (145)
- 1973 (144)
- 1972 (128)
- 1971 (134)
- 1970 (154)
- 1969 (136)
- 1968 (140)
- 1967 (160)
- 1966 (111)
- 1965 (127)
- 1964 (137)
- 1963 (106)
- 1962 (116)
- 1961 (93)
- 1960 (106)
- 1959 (101)
- 1958 (86)
- 1957 (107)
- 1956 (100)
- 1955 (65)
- 1954 (75)
- 1953 (72)
- 1952 (52)
- 1951 (89)
- 1950 (62)
- 1926 (1)
- 1852 (1)
Recent Decisions From the Rhode Island Supreme Court
Date: March 10, 2025
Docket Number: 24-67
Date: February 25, 2025
Docket Number: 23-311
Justia Opinion Summary: Warwick Wings, LLC, a Rhode Island limited liability company operating as Hooters of Warwick, faced significant damage to its building due to snow and ice in 2015. Odeh Engineers, Inc. evaluated the damage and concluded…
Date: February 25, 2025
Docket Number: 24-53
Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiff, Richard Paiva, an inmate at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI), filed a suit against Lynne Corry, the warden of the maximum-security facility, in Providence County Superior Court. Paiva sought a…
Date: February 13, 2025
Docket Number: 23-54
Justia Opinion Summary: Brian Smith was charged with simple assault and second-degree child molestation in 2015 for an incident at a Newport Polo event where he allegedly touched two children inappropriately. He was found guilty of simple…
Date: February 12, 2025
Docket Number: 22-243
Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiffs, retired police officers and firefighters, challenged the constitutionality of a 2011 Medicare Ordinance enacted by the City of Providence, which required retirees to enroll in Medicare upon eligibility…
Date: February 12, 2025
Docket Number: 22-244
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012, the City of Providence suspended cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) pension benefits for retired police and fire department members. The retirees challenged this suspension, leading to a series of legal actions.…
Date: February 11, 2025
Docket Number: 23-238
Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiff, New England Property Services Group, LLC (NEPSG), appealed from a summary judgment in favor of the defendant, NGM Insurance Company (NGM). NEPSG had been assigned the insurance claim benefits by the…
Date: February 4, 2025
Docket Number: 23-330
Justia Opinion Summary: The Providence Retired Police and Firefighter’s Association (the Association) sought a declaratory judgment against the City of Providence (the city) regarding entitlement to occupational cancer disability benefits under…
Date: February 4, 2025
Docket Number: 24-50
Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiff, Paula M. Montaquila, appealed a decision granting summary judgment in favor of the defendant, Flagstar Bank, FSB, regarding the foreclosure sale of property located at 33 Zella Street in Providence, Rhode…
Date: February 3, 2025
Docket Number: 22-150
Justia Opinion Summary: The petitioner, Charles Pona, sought review of two orders from the Superior Court that summarily dismissed his applications for postconviction relief from two murder convictions. Pona was indicted in 2000 for the murder…
Date: January 23, 2025
Docket Number: 21-292
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1991, Francisco Martinez was indicted on charges including first-degree murder and assault with a dangerous weapon. In 1993, he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder and a consecutive…
Date: January 14, 2025
Docket Number: 23-115
Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiffs, City of Warren Police and Fire Retirement System and David Freundlich, filed a consolidated securities action against CVS Health Corporation. They alleged that CVS's offering documents related to its 2018…
Date: December 20, 2024
Docket Number: 22-76
Justia Opinion Summary: The petitioner was found guilty of first-degree murder for the brutal stabbing of his then-wife's sixteen-year-old daughter and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, plus an additional…
Date: December 19, 2024
Docket Number: 23-339
Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiff, Willie Gray, filed a complaint for personal injuries sustained in a fire at a multifamily residential property in Providence on January 12, 2018. The property was allegedly owned by Dexter Jackson, whose…
Date: December 13, 2024
Docket Number: 23-186
Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiffs, Mill Road Realty Associates, LLC, Morris Maglioli, and William L. Ricci, Jr., d/b/a Wright’s Auto Parts, operated a junkyard in Foster, Rhode Island. They violated the conditions of their municipal…
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
