Rhode Island
Rhode Island’s highest court is the Supreme Court of Rhode Island. The court has four justices and one chief justice. The chief justice is selected according to the same procedures as their peers on the court. (Source: Rhode Island Constitution)
Judicial Selection
The governor selects Supreme Court of Rhode Island justices from a list provided by a judicial nominating commission. The governor’s nominee must be confirmed by a majority of the state house and senate. An appointed justice serves a single life term with no mandatory retirement age. When a seat on the Rhode Island Supreme Court becomes open in the middle of a justice’s term, the governor selects a candidate from a list provided by a judicial nominating commission. The nominee must be confirmed by a majority of the state house and senate. An appointed justice serves a single life term with no mandatory retirement age.
State Constitution
Rhode Island has had two state constitutions adopted in 1842 and 1986. As of January 1, 2026, it had 13 amendments. (Data on file with John Dinan, Wake Forest University.)
The Rhode Island Constitution: Royal Charter and a Modern Constitutional Convention
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State Law Gives Litigators Extra Tools to Counter Originalism
Unique features of state courts allow lawyers to go beyond arguments available in federal courts.
The Untold Story of 150 Years of Women in State Judiciaries
A focus on the U.S. Constitution and federal judges has obscured a longer and more complex history of women serving on state benches — and how state constitutions mattered in their rise.
A Conversation with Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice Melissa Long
Justice Melissa Long was appointed to the Rhode Island Supreme Court in 2021, becoming the state’s first Black high court justice. She was previously an associate justice on the Rhode Island Superior Court. In her interview, Long discusses how state courts can engage with the public, shore up trust in democratic institutions, and search for innovative solutions.
New Year Scholarship Roundup: Federal-State Conflict, State Courts, and Election Administration
Several new articles explore state power in times of federal-state and interstate conflict.
Voting Rights and Democracy in State Courts
Transcript of panel from Symposium: The Power of State Constitutional Rights
State Constitutional Amendments and State Conventions
Transcript of panel from Symposium: The Power of State Constitutional Rights
The Diversity of Rights in State Constitutions
Transcript of panel from Symposium: The Power of State Constitutional Rights
Federalism and Interstate Conflicts
Transcript of panel from Symposium: The Power of State Constitutional Rights