U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island
U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the First Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.
| Judge | Appointed by | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Mary M. Lisi | Clinton (D) | 1994 |
| John James McConnell Jr. | Obama (D) | 2011 |
| Mary Susan McElroy | Trump (R) | 2019 |
| Melissa Raye DuBose | Biden (D) | 2025 |
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| William E. Smith | Bush (R) | 2002–2026 |
| Ernest C. Torres | Reagan (R) | 1987–2011 |
| Ronald Rene Lagueux | Reagan (R) | 1986–2023 |
| Bruce Marshall Selya | Reagan (R) | 1982–1986 |
| Francis Joseph Boyle | Carter (D) | 1977–2006 |
| Raymond James Pettine | Johnson (D) | 1966–2003 |
| Edward William Day | Eisenhower (R) | 1954–1985 |
| Edward Lawrence Leahy | Truman (D) | 1951–1953 |
| John Patrick Hartigan | Roosevelt (D) | 1940–1951 |
| John Christopher Mahoney | Roosevelt (D) | 1935–1940 |
| Ira Lloyd Letts | Coolidge (R) | 1928–1935 |
| Arthur Lewis Brown | Cleveland (D) | 1896–1927 |
| George Moulton Carpenter | Arthur (R) | 1884–1896 |
| LeBaron Bradford Colt | Garfield (R) | 1881–1884 |
| John Power Knowles | Grant (R) | 1870–1881 |
| Jonathan Russell Bullock | Lincoln (R) | 1865–1869 |
| John Pitman | Monroe (N) | 1825–1864 |
| David Howell | Madison (N) | 1812–1824 |
| David Leonard Barnes | Jefferson (N) | 1802–1812 |
| Benjamin Bourne | Washington (–) | 1796–1801 |
| Henry Marchant | Washington (–) | 1790–1796 |
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1790.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.