Jurisdiction means, literally, the power to speak the law. In practical terms, it refers to the power of a court to issue a ruling that binds a natural person, entity, or thing (such as personal property or real estate). While…
In The First Pass Under The New Bar Exam Policy, 17 Attorneys Will Be Admitted in Rhode Island Through The Uniform Bar Exam
Earlier this week, the Rhode Island Supreme Court announced that seventeen attorneys are now eligible for the Rhode Island bar by petitioning for admission through the Uniform Bar Exam. Under the Court’s new bar exam policy, and combining the list…
Only 28 People Passed The February 2019 R.I. Bar Examination – But It’s An Incomplete Picture On The Number Of New Attorneys
The Rhode Island Judiciary recently released the results from the February 2019 Rhode Island bar examination. On their face, the results continue the remarkable downward trend in the number of attorneys eligible to practice law in Rhode Island. The 47%…
Rhody Federal Court Stats: Criminal Cases Follow Curious National Trend, Cases and Trials Overall Are Lower Than Other Districts
The Rhode Island federal district court released its latest stats at the last Federal Bench/Bar Committee meeting (if you’re a lawyer and don’t attend these meetings, they contain lots of good stuff). The stats reveal some curious trends and notable…
The Framers Intended What? Here’s an Originalism Idea: Let a Jury Decide.
The Rhode Island federal district court had a grand total of six trials in calendar year 2018, according to recently announced statistics. That includes both civil and criminal trials. With 855 new cases filed in the Rhode Island federal district…
The Princess Bride Movie Was Right: R.I. Supreme Court Says Civil Death Statute Makes You Dead, Unless There’s True Love, and Then You’re Only Mostly Dead
Spoiler alert for those not in the know — in one of the best scenes in the Princess Bride (1987), one of the great movies of all time, the hero lies in a non-responsive state, apparently dead. He’s been tortured…