Rhode Island Courts
The Rhode Island judicial branch is tasked with overseeing the enforcement of state statutes and the penalization of criminals in the state. The judicial system comprises trial courts and appellate courts including federal appellate courts with jurisdiction over federal cases (pertaining to federal law) in the state.
Rhode Island courts are headed by the Supreme Court, which possesses directorial and supervisory authority over the judicial system, including the state bar by setting rules to be followed by other state courts. The Supreme Court also has appellate jurisdiction over all matters in the state. It carries out this function by following a fixed set of rules that directs the appellate procedure when it reviews appealed cases. The Rhode Island Supreme Court membership consists of four associate Supreme court justices and one chief justice. The justices are first nominated by the Judicial Nominating Commission and approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate. Then, the state governor appoints the justices from the nominated persons.
Rhode Island has four Superior Courts, which are the state’s trial courts of record. These courts have exclusive authority to hold hearings for jury and non-jury trials for criminal and civil matters. It has a Presiding Justice who serves as the administrative judge of the court. The four Superior Courts have a presiding justice, assisted by 21 associate justices and five magistrates. Other Superior Court members include the administrator, the jury commissioner, and a Superior Court clerk, present in each Superior Court.
Below the Rhode Island Superior Courts are the courts of limited jurisdiction, including the District Courts, Family Courts, and Workers’ Compensation Courts. The Traffic Tribunal, Municipal Courts, and Probate Courts. These courts have authority over specific matters within their jurisdiction. In addition, the Rhode Island judicial system has specialty courts, also known as problem-solving courts. These courts are designed to provide an alternative method of administering justice to eligible persons in the state. Examples include the Drug Courts and Veteran Treatment Courts.
Furthermore, the Rhode Island Judiciary has a Commission on Judicial Tenure and Discipline, responsible for handling complaints against Justices. Residents are authorized to file complaints and allegations. The Commission is mandated to evaluate and investigate these filed complaints where Justices are accused of going against the Code of Judicial Conduct. Complaints are not limited to a judge’s willful misconduct; it may also include any event that hinders their optimum performance.
Both state and federal courts operate an administrative office tasked with maintaining Rhode Island court records relevant to the court. These courts disseminate the records in keeping with the Rhode Island's public record provisions.
What is the Rhode Island Supreme Court?
The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the state’s highest court with the final word on all questions of law and equity in the state. The Supreme Court has appellate jurisdiction over cases arising from the state’s lower courts and supervisory authority over the state’s judicial budget and other courts’ affairs in the state. It is responsible to the Rhode Island state government’s executive and legislative branches, particularly on matters of the legislation’s constitutionality. The Supreme Court is also authorized to issue prerogative writs.
The Supreme Court presides over the Disciplinary Board established to protect the public and maintain the judiciary’s integrity, while also handling disciplinary matters for erring attorneys and investigating complaints through the Disciplinary Board’s investigative arm. The Board comprises 12 members, including eight attorneys and four persons from the general public. The contact details and address of the Rhode Island Supreme Court is listed below:
Rhode Island Supreme Court
Licht Judicial Complex
Seventh Floor
250 Benefit Street
Providence, RI 02903
Phone: (401) 222-3272
Rhode Island Superior Courts
Rhode Island Superior Courts are referred to as the state’s court of general jurisdiction and trial courts of record. Superior Courts in Rhode Island have exclusive authority to hold hearings for jury trials. It is authorized to preside over both criminal and civil matters, using jury and non-jury trial methods. The Superior Courts exercise original jurisdiction over civil cases where the amount in dispute is between $5,000 and $10,000 or more than $10,000. This also includes civil cases with dissent over the title, interests, and rights to real estate. The courts may also exercise original jurisdiction over felony cases occurring within the state and matters of equity.
The Superior Court may also exercise concurrent jurisdiction with the Rhode Island Supreme Court in issuing writs of mandamus and habeas corpus. The court accepts appeals from District, Probate and Municipal Courts rulings. It also hears appeals from state boards and commissions, including the Zoning Board and Ethics Commission. State and local police officers may appeal to the Rhode Island Superior Court to review a disciplinary action imposed by the police department’s chief.
Superior Court appeals are directed to the Rhode Island Supreme Court because the Rhode Island judicial system does not provide any intermediate appellate courts. There are four judicial districts, divided among the five counties in Rhode Island. Each judicial district has a Superior Court, with one of the courts having territorial jurisdiction in Providence and Bristol counties.
The contact details and addresses of the Rhode Island Superior Courts are listed below:
Providence and Bristol County Superior Court
Licht Judicial Complex
250 Benefit Street
Providence, RI 02903
Phone: (401) 222-3250
Washington County Superior Court
McGrath Judicial Complex
4800 Tower Hill Road
Wakefield, RI 02879
Phone: (401) 782-4121
Kent County Superior Court
Noel Judicial Complex
222 Quaker Lane
Warwick, RI 02886
Phone: (401) 822-6900
Newport County Superior Court
Murray Judicial Complex
45 Washington Square
Newport, RI 02840
Phone: (401) 841-8330
Rhode Island District Courts
Rhode Island District Courts have limited jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases, depending on the cases’ facts and severity. The courts have exclusive jurisdiction over most general civil claims where the amount in dispute is below $5,000. It also has concurrent jurisdiction with Superior Courts over small claims worth more than $5,000, but not more than $10,000. Rhode Island District Courts also have small claims divisions that preside over cases where parties claim damages that do not exceed $2,500.
The Rhode Island Judiciary does not authorize District Courts to conduct jury trials. District Courts have jurisdiction over criminal matters, including misdemeanor and felony cases, excluding cases punishable by above one-year imprisonment or fine of more than $1,000. The courts may also handle certain municipal ordinance violations.
The Rhode Island District Court membership comprises 16 judicial officers, including one chief judge, one administrative judge, 12 associate judges, and two magistrates.
Rhode Island Workers’ Compensation Court
The General Assembly established the Rhode Island Workers’ Compensation Court based on the Rhode Island Workers’ Compensation Act to improve the workers’ compensation system. The court attempts to protect the rights of workers by granting financial compensation in cases with proven merit. The Workers’ Compensation Court handles disputes arising between employees and employers over a staffer’s remuneration. It also handles disagreements between compensation insurers and employers. The court has jurisdiction over civil matters regarding workers’ payments in the state.
However, the Rhode Island Workers’ Compensation Court does not cover the following employees:
- Partners
- Salespersons or appraisers who earn on commission
- School district employees
- Sole proprietors
- Domestic workers
- Casual employees
- Agricultural and domestic service employees
- Volunteer or charitable workers
The Workers’ Compensation Court may not cover independent contractors, certain federal employees, firefighters, and police officers. However, these persons will be able to receive some relief from other compensation programs.
The Workers’ Compensation Court has one chief judge and nine associate judges. The court conducts a pretrial conference within 21 days from the date an employee files a petition. Appeals from this trial go to the Appellate Division. The appeal must be filed within five days from the date the judge enters the order. Aggrieved parties may appeal the Appellate Division’s rulings to the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
The contact details and address of the Rhode Island Workers’ Compensation Court is listed below:
Joseph Garrahy Judicial Complex
1 Dorrance Plaza
Providence, RI 02903
Phone: (401) 458-5000
Fax: (401) 222-3121
TTY: (401) 458-5275
Rhode Island Family Courts
Rhode Island Family Courts function as alternative courts, handling problems pertaining to children and families. These courts also provide services on the support, protection, and restoration of families with issues that threaten their general well-being and family solidarity. Family Courts have jurisdiction over family matters, including domestic relations and juvenile cases. Some of these domestic relations cases include issues relating to legal separation and divorce, such as paternity, division of property, child visitation, and child custody. The courts also hear matters relating to children such as child delinquency, abuse, waywardness, dependency, neglect, and mental deficiency.
The Family courts may also preside over some criminal and civil cases such as neglect, abandonment, desertion, and threats directed at family members. Appeals from Family Court rulings are sent to the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
A Rhode Island Family Court comprises one chief judge, 11 associate justices, one general magistrate, and eight magistrates. Family Courts also have Family Court Administrators that work under the superintendence of the chief judge.
The contact details and addresses of Rhode Island Family Courts are listed below:
Providence and Bristol Counties Family Court
Joseph Garrahy Judicial Complex
1 Dorrance Plaza
Providence, RI 02903
Phone: Domestic Clerk's Office: (401) 458-3200
Phone: Juvenile Clerk's Office: (401) 458-3290
Washington County Family Court
Howard McGrath Judicial Complex
4800 Tower Hill Road
Suite 196
Wakefield, RI 02879
Phone: (401) 782-4111
Newport County Family Court
45 Washington Square
Newport, RI 02840
Phone: (401) 841-8340
Kent County Family Court
222 Quaker Lane
Warwick, RI 02886
Phone: (401) 822-6725
Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal
The Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal was established by the Rhode Island General Assembly in 1999. The court handles traffic cases in the state but does not have jurisdiction over the following:
- Crimes that cause severe injury or death
- Driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or other controlled substances
- High-speed elusions or attempts to escape from Rhode Island law enforcement agencies
- Driving without a valid license or other required documentation
- Crimes involving driving or possessing stolen vehicles
- A motorist’s refusal to take a breathalyzer test
Instead, the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal handles lesser traffic offenses, state violations of public water, and boating ordinances. It has concurrent jurisdiction with the state Municipal Courts over these cases. The Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal has exclusive jurisdiction over town or city traffic offenses and original jurisdiction over all civil motor vehicle and traffic offenses and some Department of Environmental Management violations. It is an independent court that operates under the Chief Magistrate’s supervision, but it is part of the Rhode Island unified court system.
The Traffic Tribunal comprises eight judicial officers, including four magistrates, two associate judges, one administrative magistrate, and a chief magistrate.
The contact details and addresses of Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal are listed below:
Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal
670 New London Avenue
Cranston, RI 02920
Phone: (401) 275-2700
TTY: (401) 275-2379
Fax: (401) 275-2359
Satellite Location
4800 Tower Hill Road
Wakefield, RI 02879
Phone: (401) 275-2700
Rhode Island Municipal Courts
Rhode Island Municipal Courts have jurisdiction over most municipal ordinance violations within their territorial jurisdictions. These courts hear cases relating to animal ordinance violations, the zoning ordinance or local housing violations, and in some cases, parking permits. Each Municipal Court comprises seven judicial officers, including one auxiliary judge, four associate judges, one senior associate judge, and one chief judge. The city or town councils have the authority to appoint Municipal Court judges.
Rhode Island Probate Courts
Rhode Island Probate Courts were created by RIGL 8-9, and they handle all probate cases within their territorial jurisdiction. Under Section 8-9-9 of the state’s general laws, Rhode Island Probate Courts handle cases probate of wills, minor guardianships, limited adult guardianships, conservatorships, administration of estates, adoption of adults, and authorization to sell or mortgage-related property at a private or public sale.
Probate Courts have jurisdiction over cases involving certain trusts, ruling on the related trustees involved, and name changes of adults that have received convictions for a felony or misdemeanor. Aggrieved persons may appeal Probate Court decisions to the Superior Court in the county where the Probate Court is located, in accordance with Section 33-23-1.
What are Appeals and Court Limits in Rhode Island?
Appeals are petitions from individuals filed in Rhode Island appellate courts to review a lower court’s rulings. The Supreme Court of Rhode Island is the main appellate court in the state, although its Superior Courts also perform appellate functions. Both appellate courts hear appeal cases within their jurisdiction. An appellant must file a notice of appeal within 20 days from the entry of the order, judgment or decree appealed at the trial court’s clerk’s office, not the Supreme Court’s clerk’s office. An appellant may obtain the form for filing a notice of appeal at the trial court’s clerk’s office.
Refer to the Rhode Island Appellate Procedure for more information on the appellate procedure in the state.
How Do I Find My Case Number in Rhode Island?
Case numbers are sets of individually allocated alphanumeric codes that identify unique information on each filed case, such as the court that filed the case and the year a case was filed. Case numbers come in handy when searching for case information or attempting to track a case. It also eases the process of collating and accessing case information. This is quite straightforward because each case has a unique case number. Hence, time that would have been wasted while scanning through diverse search results generated during a name search is conserved.
Parties to the case, self-represented defendants, and the general public online can use the public portal to get case numbers; however, they must have registered accounts to access this portal. Interested persons can search the public portal online with the full name of the party to the case to find a case number.
Individuals may also request the case numbers at the court clerk’s office where the case was filed. However, the court clerk provides specific details on the case that was filed to facilitate the search for case numbers.
Does Rhode Island Hold Remote Trials?
Following the coronavirus pandemic’s emergence, the Rhode Island Judiciary system has been compelled to adjust the courts’ business operations and implement emergency measures mandated by Executive Order 20-02 on March 9, 2020. This also includes the guidelines provided by the Rhode Island Department of Health and the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These guidelines were designed to significantly restrict crowds, encourage social distancing, limit in-person hearing, and other proceedings while performing its duties.
Rhode Island presently holds remote hearings for most cases. However, critical matters or proceedings that cannot be conducted remotely are handled in-person, in compliance with coronavirus safety protocols. All in-person pretrial hearings are on hold until at least January 12, 2021, and all small claims matters are suspended until at least February 1, 2021. Rhode Island courts also encourage electronic filings to the court clerks’ email to reduce in-person filings at the court clerk’s office.
Each court has developed specific procedures to reduce traffic at the courthouses, and this can be found on the Rhode Island Judiciary website.
