Below you will find the fundamentals of Rhode Island Family Court.
The Rhode Island Family Court system is a creature of statute.
The statute that established the Rhode Island Family Court is Section 8-10-3.
§ 8-10-3. Establishment of court – Jurisdiction – Seal – Oaths
- Chief Justice Forte. The chief has a lifetime appointment with authority to issue administrative orders. The chief may transfer venue of a case at his discretion. (Justice Forte’s boss is Chief Justice Suttell of The RI Supreme Court. Chief Judge Suttell is in charge of the entire State of Rhode Island Judicial System. Suttell is the executive head of the entire state judicial system which includes the RI Family Court)
- Eleven Associate Justices of the RI Family Court. (Appointed for life. There is no mandated retirement age for associate judges in RI)
- One General Magistrate, General Magistrate Ballirano
- Ten Magistrates
- Unified judicial system
The Rhode Island Family Court has jurisdiction over the following types of domestic matters:
- RI divorce
- Divorce from Bed and Board and Future Cohabitation
- alimony
- modification, enforcement and termination of child support
- child custody and child support
- Complaints for Separate Maintenance (alimony)
- Orders for child support, alimony and or custody from another state
- prenuptial / antenuptial agreements
- enforcement of marital settlement agreements
- abuse complaints over present and former family members (parents, stepparents, minor child victim, or when the parties have a minor child together)
- adoptions
- dcyf neglect, dependency and abuse
- delinquent children
- truancy court proceedings
- Select criminal proceedings involving adults with charges related to children
- Certain abuse complaints when at least one of the parties is a minor
(The RI Family Court may issue child support orders up to a child turning eighteen years old AND graduating high school. After high school, the court may award support up to 90 days after graduation if a moyion is filed. The Court may issue a child support order until a child graduates high school but not after a child turns 19. If a child has severe physical and mental impairments, the court can award child support indefinitely.)
The Governor of the State of RI appoints the Chief of the RI Family Court for a lifetime appointment. Of course, this appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the senate.
Providence Family Court:
J. Joseph Garrahy Judicial Complex,
One Dorrance Plaza,
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 458-5310
- Cafeteria on site
- Parking on street (metered), in parking lots and in parking garage
- No free parking
Kent County Family Court
Noel Judicial Complex
222 Quaker Lane
Warwick, Rhode Island 02886
(Superior, Family, and District Courts)
Phone Number: 401-822-6725
- Parking garage available for free
- No cafeteria on site
- Sparce law library with outdated books and a couple of computers
Washington County Family Court
McGrath Judicial Complex
4800 Tower Hill Road
Wakefield, Rhode Island 02879
Phone Number: 401-782-4111
- No cafeteria on site
- Sparse outdated law library with a couple of old computers
- Free parking in parking lot
Newport County Family Court
Murray Judicial Complex
45 Washington Square
Newport, Rhode Island 02840
- Street parking only, need to meters
- No cafeteria on site
- Outdated law library with a couple of old computers
What are the chief Judge of the RI Family Court’s responsibilities:
- Issuing administrative orders
- Controls, supervises and organizes Court calendars
- Controls and assigns Magistrates and General Magistrates to calendars
- In a supervisory capacity of secretaries, stenographers and masters
- Hires administrative employees and clerks
- Makes and enforces rules of the Court
- Running the business of the Family Court
- Only the Chief Justice can change the venue of a particular RI Family Court matter
- Approving court excusals from RI divorce lawyers and other lawyers who appear before the RI Family Court.
- Selects Magistrates (advice and consent of senate)
- Appoints the General Magistrate (advice and consent)
- Determines appeals from a Magistrate or General Magistrate or selects a designee to determine the appeals
- Admistrative role, running the court
- Establish the scope of each Magistrate’s powers by and through administrative orders
- Establishes rules to conduct the business of the Family Court
If the chief judge is ill or there is no chief judge then the Associate Justice with the longest tenure on the court shall fill the role of Chief Justice. If the chief is absent for some reason, an Associate Justice can be designated to fulfill the chief’s responsibilities.
Chief Judge Forte typical maintains a limited calendar of cases he is handling.
Associate Justices
- Lifetime appointments by Govenor (advice and consent of RI Senate)
- No required retirement age
- Ban from practicing law
- Chief Judge can recall after retirement
- No mandated retirement age
Under what cicumstances can an Associate Justice be recalled after retirement?
An Associate Justice can be recalled to the RI Family Court bench at the Chief Judge’s discretion under the following circumstances:
- The Associate Judge retired after full service with 100 percent pay. (Full service is defined as: 20 years of judicial service and 65 years old or 15 years of judicial service and 70 years old)
Chief Judge Michael B. Forte
Associate Justice Laureen D’Ambra
Associate Justice Debra E. DiSegna (retiring June 2025)
Associate Justice Karen Lynch Bernard
Associate Justice Sandra Lanni
Associate Justice Lia N. Stuhlsatz
Associate Justice Feidlim Gill
Associate Justice Richard A. Merola
Associate Justice Elizbeth Ortiz Whited
Associate Justice Shilpa Naik
Associate Justice Jeanine P. McConaghy
General Magistrate Daniel V. Ballirano
Magistrate Jeanne L. Shepard
Magistrate Angela M. Paulhus
Magistrate Edward H. Newman
Magistrate Paul T. Jones, Jr.
Magistrate Andrea M. Iannazzi
Magistrate Alberto Aponte Cardona
Magistrate Denise C. Finkelman
Magistrate Samantha Polisena
Magistrate Ronald Cascione
Magistrate Susan Nahabedian
What Court personnel work at the Rhode Island Family Court?
- Family Court Administrator
- Clerks, deputy clerks, assistant clerks
- Clerical assistants
- Secretaries to the judges
- Stenographers
- Family Services office staff and investigators
- Attorney Mediators
What are the resources that are utilized by the Family Court?
- Sheriffs
- Guardian ad Litems
- Department of Correction employees
- Domestic abuse advocates
- Child Support enforcement