Rhode Island Judicial Nominating Commission

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Methods of judicial selection
Partisan elections
Nonpartisan elections
Michigan method
Retention elections
Assisted appointment
Bar-controlled commission
Governor-controlled commission
Hybrid commission
Legislative elections
Gubernatorial appointment

The Rhode Island Judicial Nominating Commission, also known as the JNC, is an independent state commission in Rhode Island established by state statute that plays a role in the state's judicial selection process. The JNC has nine members, selected by the governor with input from leaders in the Rhode Island State Legislature.

Rhode Island uses the assisted appointment method of judicial selection for its state courts. Using this method, the governor appoints state judges from a list of names submitted by the JNC. This selection method is used for all of the trial and appellate courts in the state.

The JNC is a governor-controlled commission, which means that there is a majority of members chosen by the governor. As of September 18, 2025, 11 states used this type of commission. To learn more about controlling majorities in judicial selection commissions, click here.

Members

Last updated: April 2025.

The JNC has nine members. All of these members are appointed by the governor, but some are appointed with input from legislative leaders. The governor appoints three attorneys and one member of the public without input. The governor then selects one member from each of five lists provided in the following ways:

• The speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives submits a list of three attorneys
• The president of the Rhode Island State Senate submits a list of three people (attorneys and non-attorneys)
• The speaker and president jointly submit a list of four non-attorneys
• The minority leader of the Rhode Island House of Representatives submits a list of three non-attorneys
• The minority leader of the Rhode Island State Senate submits a list of three non-attorneys

Members of the Rhode Island Judicial Nominating Commission, April 2025
Name	Appointed by	Term-end date
Chair - Krystle Tadesse, Esq.	Gov. Gina Raimondo (D)	June 15, 2025
Christian Capizzo	Gov. Gina Raimondo (D)	June 15, 2025
Thomas Casale	Senate President & House Speaker	June 15, 2024
Karen Glynn	Senate Minority Leader	June 15, 2020
James Lepore	Senate President	June 15, 2023
Lamel Moore	House Minority Leader	June 15, 2028
Nkolika Etell Onye	Gov. Daniel McKee (D)	June 15, 2025
Jina Petrarca	Gov. Gina Raimondo (D)	June 15, 2025
Jason Preciphs	Gov. Daniel McKee (D)	June 15, 2025

Process

The JNC rules of procedure lay out the following steps for filling a judicial vacancy:

1. The governor issues a notice of vacancy.
2. The JNC advertises the vacancy in newspapers and solicits applications from eligible individuals.
3. The JNC reviews completed questionnaires and background materials of each applicant.
4. The JNC conducts interviews with select applicants.
5. The JC selects between three and five individuals to submit to the governor for consideration.
6. The governor appoints a nominee from the shortlist.

Duties

As of April 2025, the Rhode Island Judicial Nominating Commission website did not list specific duties for members of the commission.

Control of judicial selection commissions

Assisted appointment is a method of judicial selection in which a nominating commission reviews the qualifications of judicial candidates and submits a list of names to the governor, who appoints a judge from the list.

At the state supreme court level, this method is further divided into the following three types, based on the makeup of the judicial nominating commissions. Those types are:

• Governor-controlled commission - The governor is either responsible for appointing a majority of the members of the nominating commission or may decline to appoint a candidate from a list provided by the nominating commission.
• Bar-controlled commission - Members of the state Bar Association are responsible for electing a majority of the members of the nominating commission.
• Hybrid - There is no majority of members chosen by either the governor or the state Bar Association. The membership of these commissions is determined by different rules in each state.

Twenty-three courts in 22 states used assisted appointment to select state supreme court justices as of June 2021. Rhode Island used a governor-controlled commission. The table below shows the number of courts using each variation of assisted appointment at the state supreme court level.

Assisted appointment methods in state supreme courts
Method	Courts (of 23)
Governor-controlled majority	10
Bar-controlled majority	1
Hybrid	12

The map below highlights the states that use each of the three types of assisted appointment.

About judicial selection

Each state has a unique set of guidelines governing how they select judges at the state and local level. These methods of selection are:

Election

• Partisan election: Judges are elected by the people, and candidates are listed on the ballot alongside a label designating political party affiliation.
• Nonpartisan election: Judges are elected by the people, and candidates are listed on the ballot without a label designating party affiliation.
• Michigan method: State supreme court justices are selected through nonpartisan elections preceded by either partisan primaries or conventions.
• Retention election: A periodic process whereby voters are asked whether an incumbent judge should remain in office for another term. Judges are not selected for initial terms in office using this election method.

Assisted appointment

• Assisted appointment, also known as merit selection or the Missouri Plan: A nominating commission reviews the qualifications of judicial candidates and submits a list of names to the governor, who appoints a judge from the list. At the state supreme court level, this method is further divided into the following three types:
  • Bar-controlled commission: Members of the state Bar Association are responsible for electing a majority of the judicial nominating commission that sends the governor a list of nominees that they must choose from.
  • Governor-controlled commission: The governor is responsible for appointing a majority of the judicial nominating commission that sends the governor a list of nominees they must choose from.
  • Hybrid commission: The judicial nominating commission has no majority of members chosen by either the governor or the state bar association. These commissions determine membership in a variety of ways, but no institution or organization has a clear majority control.

Direct appointment

• Court appointment: Judges are selected by judges in the state judiciary.
• Gubernatorial appointment: Judges are appointed by the governor. In some cases, approval from the legislative body is required.
• Legislative election: Judges are selected by the state legislature.
• Municipal government selection: Judges are selected by the governing body of their municipality.

Click a state on the map below to explore judicial selection processes in that state.

Choose your state...AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington, D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

http://ballotpedia.org/Judicial_selection_in_STATE

See also

State courts	Appointment methods	Election methods
State supreme courts Intermediate appellate courts Trial courts	Assisted appointment Court appointment Gubernatorial appointment Legislative election Municipal government selection	Partisan election Nonpartisan election Michigan method

External links

Suggest a link

• Rhode Island Judicial Nominating Commission