Federal and state courts each have their own separate rules of civil procedure, but it’s a long-standing tenet of Rhode Island law that state and federal rules with similar language are generally interpreted the same. Heal v. Heal, 762 A.2d…
Author: Tim Baldwin
Tim Baldwin, Esq. is the editor of RICourtBlog and an attorney at Whelan, Corrente, Flanders, Kinder & Siket, LLP
Reading the Tea Leaves on the Latest Superior Court Judicial Assignments
It’s a new year, and just as the seasons change, so do the calendar assignments for the Justices of the Rhode Island Superior Court. The latest Administrative Order, effective December 31, 2017, is a mix of stare decisis and some…
What’s the Deal with the U.S. District Judge and U.S. Attorney Vacancies?
The United States District Court has been down a judge for over two years, and the U.S. Attorney’s office has sat vacant since March 2017. How did we get here and what’s taking so long? Both positions require Presidential nomination…
It’s Musical Chairs At The District of Rhode Island – Courtroom Style!
Not long ago, you could predict the District of Rhode Island’s courtroom lineup like the Red Sox batting order. David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez batted 3 and 4, and Judge Lisi sat in Courtroom 1, Chief Judge Smith in Courtroom…
Is Justice Robinson The New Great Dissenter?
In recent times, Rhode Island Supreme Court opinions have been chummy affairs. You might see a dissent here and there, but for the most part, the decisions are unanimous. The last robust period of dissent occurred during the colorful tenure…
The Legal Memo is Dead in the D.R.I. Long Live the Memo.
Effective December 1, 2017, the United States District Court in Rhode Island amended its local rules. One of the more significant changes is to Local Civil Rule 7 (or LR Cv 7, as it’s known in the biz) to eliminate…
A Handy Guide to Superior Court Civil Standing Orders by County
Back in the day, you had to know a guy, who knew a guy, who might have heard from some other guy, if there were any standing orders floating around that remained in effect as the judges rotated through the…
The Curious Case of U.S. v. Zaninno
High-profile cases get cited all the time by other courts and judges. In the zoning world, Euclid v. Ambler Realty Company, 272 U.S. 365 (1926), is a judicial favorite for the principle that land-use decisions pass constitutional muster when they…