A state court of last resort / Established 1742

Rhode Island Supreme Court

Providence · A court of last resort in Rhode Island.

The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the highest court in Rhode Island. Its justices are chosen by gubernatorial appointment. This page lists every justice to serve on the court, current and former, with when they joined the bench and whom they succeeded.

Justices in history

Currently serving

Appointment

Selection

No fixed term

Term

Current justices

Justice	Since
Gideon Cornell	1742
Pardon Tillinghast	1881
Maureen McKenna Goldberg	1997
Paul Suttell	2003
Gilbert V. Indeglia	2010

Former justices

Justice	Years
William Robinson	2004–2013
Francis Flaherty	2003–2013
Frank Williams	2001–2008
Robert G. Flanders Jr.	1996–2004
John Paul Bourcier	1995–2002
Victoria Lederberg	1993–2002
Thomas Frederic Fay	1986–1993
Florence Kerins Murray	1979–1996
Joseph Robert Weisberger	1978–2001
Joseph A. Bevilacqua	1976–1986
John F. Doris	1973–1981
Thomas F. Kelleher	1966–1992
Alfred Hahn Joslin	1963–1979
G. Frederick Frost	1959–1963
William Edmonds Powers	1958–1973
Thomas Joseph Paolino	1956–1987
Thomas H. Roberts	1955–1976
Jeremiah Edward O'Connell	1948–1956
Antonio A. Capotosto	1935–1957
Francis Condon	1935–1965
Edmund Flynn	1935–1957
William Washburn Moss	1935–1948
Charles Stearns	1929–1935
Hugh B. Baker	1922–1957
William Sweetland	1920–1929
Clarke Johnson	1913–1917
John Stiness	1900–1904
Charles Matteson	1891–1900
Thomas Durfee	1875–1891
George Brayton	1868–1875
Charles Bradley	1866–?
Samuel Ames	1856–1865
Job Durfee	1833–1847
Samuel Eddy	1826–1835
James Fenner	1819–1819
Isaac Wilbour	1819–1827
James Burrill Jr.	1816–1817
Daniel Lyman	1812–1816
Peleg Arnold	1795–1812
William Ellery	1785–1786
Shearjashub Bourne	1778–1781
Metcalf Bowler	1776–1777
William Greene	1767–1778
John Cole	1764–1765
Samuel Ward	1761–1762
John Gardner	1756–1761
Francis Willet	1755–1755
Hopkins Stephen	1751–1775
Joshua Babcock	1747–1783

How a justice reaches this court. Justices of the Rhode Island Supreme Court are appointed by the governor. Merit selection: a nominating commission sends names to the governor, who appoints with confirmation by both legislative chambers; justices then serve for life during good behavior. Selection methods vary by jurisdiction and have changed over time; this page reflects the court’s current method (source: National Center for State Courts). Open any justice to see their tenure and whom they succeeded.

Source: CourtListener / Free Law Project; selection method from the National Center for State Courts. Data last verified 2026-06-30. Verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).