RI Lawmakers to Reconvene for Gov. McKee’s Judicial Picks
For the first time in six years, Rhode Island state lawmakers are scheduled to reconvene following the Nov. 3 election to weigh the confirmation of five magistrates and potentially four additional judges.
Legislators Return After Election
The upcoming legislative calendar brings lawmakers back to the State House following an electoral cycle where all 38 senators face reelection and nine members of the House chose not to seek another term. State law requires a seven-calendar-day waiting period after chambers receive a nomination before formal consideration can begin.
Senate President Valarie Lawson outlined five specific meeting dates in an Oct. 21 email to senators. The full 38-member chamber is set to meet Nov. 5 to formally receive appointments and refer them to the Judiciary Committee.
John Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island, noted that post-election lame-duck sessions were historically more frequent when turnover in the judiciary generated a high volume of vacancies. Lawmakers last reconvened in a similar post-recess capacity in December 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to pass a state budget and confirm Supreme Court justices Melissa Long and Erin Lynch Prata.
“It’s certainly not without precedent to see lame-duck legislatures do this,” Marion said. “It’s not mischievous — this is their duty under the way the law reads.”
Magistrate Nominations Await Senate Consent
Superior Court Presiding Justice Joseph A. Montalbano recommended Timothy G. Healy and Kara Hoopis Manosh for magistrate roles in the state’s highest trial court.
Senate spokesperson Greg Paré confirmed that the upper chamber has received all five nominations. The Judiciary Committee will hold hearings on November 17 and 18, with the full Senate scheduled to consider the nominations on December 1 and a secondary session the following day if needed.
Paré also indicated that the Senate may evaluate three additional Traffic Tribunal magistrates selected by its chief judge. Unlike lifetime judicial appointments, Rhode Island magistrates serve fixed 10-year terms.
Pending Judicial Appointments From The Governor
Dan McKee has yet to formally transmit several key judicial picks to the General Assembly. McKee nominated Superior Court Judge Luis Matos in August to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg’s retirement in the spring, but state law requires formal transmission to both legislative chambers before advice and consent proceedings can start.
Chamber spokesperson Larry Berman noted that no return date exists for the House because the governor has not yet forwarded the nomination there. McKee lost to Democratic rival Helena Bounnano Foulkes in the Sept. 9 primary. Foulkes faces independent Ken Block, Republican Aaron Guckian and two other independent candidates in the Nov. 3 general election.
The governor also holds unannounced decisions regarding two Superior Court vacancies from eight candidates recommended by the Judicial Nominating Commission on Aug. 12. Those openings followed Montalbano’s elevation to presiding justice and Jeffrey Lanphear’s retirement. McKee is reviewing five candidates for District Court chief judge recommended by the commission following the Oct. 9 retirement of Jeanne E. LaFazia after 16 years on the bench.
McKee’s office did not respond to requests for comment on the timeline for submitting his remaining judicial selections.