Senator Urges Lawmakers to Ask Raimondo to Appoint Person of Color to RI Supreme Court
GoLocalProv News Team
Senator Urges Lawmakers to Ask Raimondo to Appoint Person of Color to RI Supreme Court
Sheehan has already called on Raimondo to appoint a person of color to the Rhode Island Supreme Court -- and in a letter sent to Raimondo, asked her to "take a stand on principle."
State Representative Anastasia Williams this week urged Raimondo and the Rhode Island Judicial Nominating Commission to reopen the application process for three judicial vacancies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected Rhode Island’s minority communities particularly harder than most. The application period ended on April 30.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTMembers of the House and Senate are tasked with providing advice and consent on any appointment put forth by the Governor.
Sheehan's Appeal to Lawmakers
Sheehan sent the following letter this week:
Dear Fellow Lawmaker:
We all swore an oath to support our Rhode Island Constitution. Article III, Section 7 requires public officials adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct. The Ethics Commission’s duty is to investigate and enforce violations of the state code of ethics including conflicts of interest and use of position for personal gain or advantage. On June 2, the Ethics Commission, in my view, failed in its duty when it rejected its own in-house counsel’s advice which clearly held that a sitting legislator could not lawfully seek or be appointed to the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
In reaction to the corrupt practice of elected officials using their positions to snag cushy state jobs and judgeships for themselves, family or political allies, the state enacted so-called “revolving door” laws and rules requiring elected officials to wait one year before seeking or accepting state employment. While there are limited exceptions, I, along with in-house counsel and others, am convinced that the code of ethics prohibits sitting legislators from seeking and being appointed to the Supreme Court.
I am not writing to dispute the qualities or qualifications of Senator Erin Lynch Prata, an admired and respected colleague. Rather, I am raising a red flag: if the revolving door law is reopened for business, seats on the Supreme Court will become objects of robust political desire and backroom deals by Smith Hill insiders. For all of those wishing to someday serve on the Supreme Court, advantage surely will go to the well-connected as opposed to those most meriting the honor. Inevitably, this will undermine the respect for the high court’s decisions as well as the credibility of the Supreme Court itself. Given the significant reach and impact of the high court’s decisions on our basic liberties and general social order, this prospect should make every Rhode Islander shudder (See: Journal Commentary)!
I have asked Governor Gina Raimondo to uphold the letter and spirit of the ethics code by not appointing, if nominated, Senator Erin Lynch Prata to the Supreme Court at this time. Furthermore, if the Judicial Nominating Commission nominates a person of color, the governor should strongly consider appointing him or her to what is now an all-white bench. This appointment would be a great symbolic and substantive act which would serve as a concrete down payment on moving RI down the [long] road toward social equality (See: GoLocalProv reprint of my letter to Governor Raimondo).
I thank you for your time. I would ask you to join me in urging the governor to act on principle and uphold the law and answer the calls for social justice by appointing our very first person of color to the RI Supreme Court!
Sincerely,
Senator James C. Sheehan