Raimondo Orders Flags at Half-Staff in Honor of RI Superior Court Presiding Justice Rodgers
GoLocalProv News Team
Raimondo Orders Flags at Half-Staff in Honor of RI Superior Court Presiding Justice Rodgers
Rodgers passed away on Friday.
"Justice Joseph F. Rodgers Jr., our state's youngest-ever statewide justice, worked tirelessly over his 35 years on the bench to ensure that our court system works for its citizens. His legacy of judicial excellence will continue on through his daughter, Justice Kristin E. Rodgers. My thoughts are with his loved ones during this difficult time,” said Raimondo.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe flags will remain at half-staff until sunset on Tuesday, December 10, the date of his internment.
About Rodgers
As GoLocalProv wrote on Friday, Rodgers had been the youngest judge in modern Rhode Island history to be appointed to both the District and Superior courts.
In 1974, at age 33, he became an associate justice of the District Court and was elevated to the Superior Court in 1976.
He was a close political ally of the then powerful Speaker of the House Matthew Smith.
Rodgers has served on the Court, the state's main trial court, for over 31 years, longer than any other Superior Court judge in Rhode Island history.
PHOTO: Chris Short/Flickr Commons