Woonsocket Radio News Room

 
   

 

Metts calls on governor to appoint person of color to
state Supreme Court

 

STATE HOUSE – Sen. Harold M. Metts today urged Gov. Gina M. Raimondo to appoint a person of color to the Rhode Island Supreme Court – the state’s highest bench, which has never had a minority justice.

In a letter sent today, Senator Metts asked the governor to make history by appointing a person of color to the vacancy created by the upcoming retirement of Justice Gilbert V. Indeglia, who announced earlier this year that he would step down in June.

“To my knowledge there has never been a person of color on the Rhode Island Supreme Court. This is a gross injustice and travesty. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, ‘justice too long delayed is justice denied,’” wrote Senator Metts (D-Dist. 6, Providence).

“The minority community still feels the pain from 2004, when then-governor Donald Carcieri said that he was not interested in making history, when the highly qualified O. Rogeriee Thompson, now on the federal bench, was a candidate for the Rhode Island Supreme Court and was denied the opportunity.  Many from my community felt it was a slap in the face.

“As I have written to you before, the shortage of minority judges on the entire judiciary is troubling. Never having had any on the state’s highest court is entirely unacceptable. The numbers of minority judges was woefully low because of past discrimination. I appreciate your recent appointments, however, more needs to be done than replacing the one minority judge who retired and the two who passed away.

“More than making history, Rhode Island needs to do the right thing. Now is the time to correct this injustice and I urge you to appoint a person of color to this vacant Supreme Court judgeship.”

Senator Metts has been a vocal proponent of greater minority representation in the state’s courts, and has previously publicly urged the governor to select minority candidates for other judgeships.

 

 

 

 

President Trump again on the way to Switzerland after an electrical issue forced Air Force One to return to Joint Base Andrews Tuesday. Trump is still headed to Davos on another plane for the World Economic Forum. He is scheduled to deliver remarks and has also said he has several meetings planned, including discussions centered around Greenland.        Vice President JD Vance is set to visit Minneapolis Thursday as tensions escalate over immigration operations. The meeting will involve a roundtable discussion.        Contempt of Congress charges against the Clintons could see a vote today. That's according to Republican Congressman James Comer who heads the GOP-led House committee looking into the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Former President Clinton and Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton didn't show for their scheduled depositions last week, accusing Republicans of selective prosecution.        The Justice Department says two members of Elon Musk's DOGE might have misused Social Security info. In a recent court filing, the DOJ alleges the employees were secretly in touch with a group trying to overturn election results. It's unclear if the DOGE employees shared the data with the unnamed advocacy group.        The Canadian military is reportedly planning for how to deal with a hypothetical U.S. invasion. The Globe and Mail cites two senior government officials saying the response would center on insurgency-style tactics. They would be similar to those used in Afghanistan by resistance fighters against the Soviets and later the U.S.        Actor Timothy Busfield will be released from jail in New Mexico while his sex abuse case continues. Busfield is charged with sexually abusing two boys on the set of the television show "The Cleaning Lady." A judge said the prosecutors didn't provide enough evidence that Busfield wouldn't comply with future court orders citing that Busfield did turn himself into authorities.       

Old News Archives