United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island

41°49′33″N 71°24′38″W / 41.825811°N 71.410454°W / 41.825811; -71.410454

United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island
(D.R.I.)
Location	Federal Building (Providence)
Appeals to	First Circuit
Established	June 23, 1790
Judges	3
Chief Judge	John J. McConnell Jr.
Officers of the court
U.S. Attorney	Zachary A. Cunha
U.S. Marshal	Wing Chau
Official website

The courthouse for the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island is located in the Federal Building in Providence.

The United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island (in case citations, D.R.I.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Rhode Island. The District Court was created in 1790 when Rhode Island ratified the Constitution. The Federal Courthouse was built in 1908.

Appeals from the District of Rhode Island are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

The United States attorney for the District of Rhode Island represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of December 13, 2021^[update] the United States attorney is Zachary A. Cunha.

Legislative history

The United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island was established on June 23, 1790, by 1 Stat. 128. Congress authorized one judgeship for the Court, and assigned the district to the Eastern Circuit. On February 13, 1801, the outgoing lame duck Federalist-controlled Congress passed the controversial Judiciary Act of 1801 which reassigned the District of Rhode Island to the First Circuit.

The incoming Congress repealed the Judiciary Act of 1801, but in the Judiciary Act of 1802, Congress again assigned the District of Rhode Island to the First Circuit.

A second seat on the Court was created on March 18, 1966, by 80 Stat. 75. A third seat was added on July 10, 1984, by 98 Stat. 333.

Current judges

As of January 2, 2025^[update]:

#	Title	Judge	Duty station	Born	Term of service			Appointed by
					Active	Chief	Senior
23	Chief Judge	John J. McConnell Jr.	Providence	1958	2011–present	2019–present	—	Obama
24	District Judge	Mary S. McElroy	Providence	1965	2019–present	—	—	Trump
25	District Judge	Melissa R. DuBose	Providence	1968	2025–present	—	—	Biden
21	Senior Judge	Mary M. Lisi	inactive	1950	1994–2015	2006–2013	2015–present	Clinton
22	Senior Judge	William E. Smith	Providence	1959	2002–2025	2013–2019	2025–present	G.W. Bush

Former judges

#	Judge	State	Born–died	Active service	Chief Judge	Senior status	Appointed by	Reason for termination
1	Henry Marchant	RI	1741–1796	1790–1796	—	—	Washington	death
2	Benjamin Bourne	RI	1755–1808	1796–1801	—	—	Washington	elevation to 1st Cir.
3	David Leonard Barnes	RI	1760–1812	1801–1812	—	—	Jefferson	death
4	David Howell	RI	1747–1824	1812–1824	—	—	Madison	death
5	John Pitman	RI	1785–1864	1824–1864	—	—	Monroe	death
6	J. Russell Bullock	RI	1815–1899	1865–1869	—	—	Lincoln	resignation
7	John Power Knowles	RI	1808–1887	1869–1881	—	—	Grant	retirement
8	LeBaron Bradford Colt	RI	1846–1924	1881–1884	—	—	Garfield	elevation to 1st Cir.
9	George Moulton Carpenter Jr.	RI	1844–1896	1884–1896	—	—	Arthur	death
10	Arthur Lewis Brown	RI	1854–1928	1896–1927	—	—	Cleveland	retirement
11	Ira Lloyd Letts	RI	1889–1947	1927–1935	—	—	Coolidge	resignation
12	John Christopher Mahoney	RI	1882–1952	1935–1940	—	—	F. Roosevelt	elevation to 1st Cir.
13	John Patrick Hartigan	RI	1887–1968	1940–1951	—	—	F. Roosevelt	elevation to 1st Cir.
14	Edward L. Leahy	RI	1886–1953	1951–1953	—	—	Truman	death
15	Edward William Day	RI	1901–1985	1953–1976	1966–1971	1976–1985	Eisenhower	death
16	Raymond James Pettine	RI	1912–2003	1966–1982	1971–1982	1982–2003	L. Johnson	death
17	Francis Joseph Boyle	RI	1927–2006	1977–1992	1982–1992	1992–2006	Carter	death
18	Bruce M. Selya	RI	1934–2025	1982–1986	—	—	Reagan	elevation to 1st Cir.
19	Ronald Rene Lagueux	RI	1931–2023	1986–2001	1992–1999	2001–2023	Reagan	death
20	Ernest C. Torres	RI	1941–present	1987–2006	1999–2006	2006–2011	Reagan	retirement

1. Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 21, 1796, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 22, 1796, and received commission the same day.
2. Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 6, 1802, confirmed by the Senate on January 26, 1802, and received commission the same day.
3. Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 16, 1824, confirmed by the Senate on January 3, 1825, and received commission the same day.
4. Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 6, 1869, confirmed by the Senate on January 24, 1870, and received commission the same day.
5. Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 8, 1896, confirmed by the Senate on December 15, 1896, and received commission the same day.
6. Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 6, 1927, confirmed by the Senate on January 4, 1928, and received commission the same day.
7. Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 11, 1954, confirmed by the Senate on February 9, 1954, and received commission the same day.

Chief judges

Chief Judge
Day	1966–1971
Pettine	1971–1982
Boyle	1982–1992
Lagueux	1992–1999
Torres	1999–2006
Lisi	2006–2013
Smith	2013–2019
McConnell	2019–present

Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.

A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.

When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.

Succession of seats

Seat 1 Seat established on June 23, 1790 by 1 Stat. 128 Marchant 1790–1796 Bourne 1796–1801 Barnes 1801–1812 Howell 1812–1824 Pitman 1824–1864 Bullock 1865–1869 Knowles 1869–1881 Colt 1881–1884 Carpenter, Jr. 1884–1896 Brown 1896–1927 Letts 1927–1935 Mahoney 1935–1940 Hartigan 1940–1951 Leahy 1951–1953 Day 1953–1976 Boyle 1977–1992 Lisi 1994–2015 McElroy 2019–present

Seat 2 Seat established on March 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 Pettine 1966–1982 Selya 1982–1986 Torres 1987–2006 McConnell, Jr. 2011–present

Seat 3 Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 Lagueux 1986–2001 Smith 2002–2025 DuBose 2025–present

Notable cases

• West v. Barnes (1791), the first case appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court
• Fricke v. Lynch (1980), case involving government gender limits on prom dates
• Lee v. Weisman (1992), case involving clergy-led prayer at public school graduation ceremonies

United States attorneys for the District of Rhode Island

Some of the U.S. attorneys for Rhode Island

• David Leonard Barnes (1797–1801)
• Asher Robbins (1812–1820)
• Dutee Jerauld Pearce (1824–1825)
• George H. Browne (1852–1861)
• Wingate Hayes (1861–1871)
• Nathan F. Dixon III (1877–1885)
• Walter Russell Stiness (1911–1914)
• Norman S. Case (1921–1926)
• John S. Murdock (1926–1929)
• (1929–1934)
• J. Howard McGrath (1934–1940)
• (1940–1952)
• Edward McEntee (1952–1953)
• Raymond James Pettine (1961–1966)
• Edward P. Gallogly (1967–1969)
• Lincoln Almond (1969–1978)
• (1978–1981)
• Lincoln Almond (1981–1993)
• Sheldon Whitehouse (1993–1998)
• Margaret E. Curran (1998–2003)
• Robert Clark Corrente (2004–2009)
• Peter Neronha (2009–2017)
• Aaron L. Weisman (2019–2021)
• Richard B. Myrus (acting) (2021–present)

See also

• Courts of Rhode Island
• List of current United States district judges
• List of United States federal courthouses in Rhode Island

References

1. "Zachary A. Cunha Sworn in as U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island" (Press release). Providence, Rhode Island: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island. December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
2. "The Political Graveyard: U.S. District Attorneys in Rhode Island". politicalgraveyard.com.
3. "Acting United States Attorney Richard B. Myrus". www.justice.gov. March 1, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2021.

External links

• United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island Official Website
• United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island Official Website