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Francis Flaherty
Francis X. Flaherty is a former justice on the Rhode Island Supreme Court. He served on the court from 2003 to 2020. To learn more about this vacancy, click here.
Justice Flaherty was appointed to the bench by Republican Governor Donald Carcieri in 2003. The justices of the Rhode Island Supreme Court hold office for life.[1] On October 7, 2020, Flaherty announced that he would retire on December 31, 2020.[2]
Education
Flaherty received his bachelor's degree from Providence College in 1968 and his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in 1975.[3][4]
Career
- 2003-2020: Justice, Rhode Island Supreme Court
- 1998-2003: Board of Governors for Higher Education
- 1990-1998: Attorney in private practice
- 1985-1990: Mayor, City of Warwick
- 1979-1985: City councilman, City of Warwick
- 1975-1978: Assistant city solicitor, City of Warwick[1][5]
Political ideology
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.
Flaherty received a campaign finance score of -0.87, indicating a liberal ideological leaning. This was more liberal than the average score of -0.50 that justices received in Rhode Island.
The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.[6]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rhode Island Secretary of State, "Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice, Francis X. Flaherty"
- ↑ Cranston Herald, "Judge Flaherty rules it's time for him to 'pursue other things'," October 7, 2020
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Justice Francis X. Flaherty (RI)"
- ↑ Rhode Island Judiciary, "About the Supreme Court," accessed July 6, 2016
- ↑ Roger Williams University School of Law, "The Honorable Francis X. Flaherty," accessed January 4, 2021
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
Federal courts:
First Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Rhode Island • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Rhode Island
State courts:
Rhode Island Supreme Court • Rhode Island Superior Court • Rhode Island District Court • Rhode Island Family Court • Rhode Island Workers' Compensation Court • Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal
State resources:
Courts in Rhode Island • Rhode Island judicial elections • Judicial selection in Rhode Island
