← State supreme courts · Rhode Island overview
Rhode Island Supreme Court
The highest court in Rhode Island. Who sits on it, how they got there and how long their terms run.
Assisted appointment (governor-controlled commission)How justices are chosenA nominating commission screens candidates and sends a shortlist; the governor appoints from it. In many such states, justices later face yes/no retention elections.
Life terms; no mandated retirementTerm length
4 of 5Sitting justices1 seat(s) vacant or not yet listed.
1747Founded
No public decision data available for this court. There is no free, consistently coded source of how each state justice votes in cases, so this site doesn't score state judges.
Justices
Paul Suttell
Chief Justice
Party as listed: Nonpartisan
Took office: July 16, 2009
Appointed by Donald Carcieri (R)
Photo: Ballotpedia
Melissa Long
Justice
Party as listed: Nonpartisan
Took office: January 11, 2021
Appointed by Gina Raimondo (D)
Photo: Ballotpedia
Erin Lynch Prata
Justice
Party as listed: Nonpartisan
Took office: January 4, 2021
Appointed by Gina Raimondo (D)
Photo: Ballotpedia
William P. Robinson
Justice
Party as listed: Nonpartisan
Took office: 2004
Appointed by Donald Carcieri (R)
Photo: Ballotpedia
Vacant
Vacant seat
Seat currently vacant, per Ballotpedia
Source: Ballotpedia, Rhode Island Supreme Court (retrieved Oct 26, 2026). “Party as listed” is Ballotpedia’s label; many state justices are officially nonpartisan. Photos from each justice’s Ballotpedia page (or Wikimedia Commons where Ballotpedia has none). Click a name for a short profile.