First Minority Named to RI Supreme Court: Long and Lynch Prata Tapped to Fill Vacancies

Tuesday, December 08, 2020

 

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Superior Court Judge Melissa Long

For months Governor Gina Raimondo refused to commit to naming a minority to the Rhode Island Supreme Court. The court has been all-white for hundreds of years.

Raimondo had been pushing State Senator Erin Lynch Prada to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Gil Indeglia, but when a second vacancy was created with the retirement of Francis Flaherty, Raimondo could keep her commitment to Lynch Prata and name a minority.

But, only then.

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GoLocal repeatedly editorialized calling for Raimondo to name a person of color to the high court.

On Tuesday, Raimondo announced her nominees for judicial vacancies on the Rhode Island Supreme Court, Superior Court, Family Court, and Workers’ Compensation Court. 

“I am thrilled to appoint this group of talented public servants to our state’s highest courts,” said Raimondo. “As Governor, one of my most important and sacred responsibilities is to appoint high-caliber judges who reflect the diversity of the Rhode Islanders they serve. I am confident that each of these nominees will fairly and honorably uphold the laws and values of our state.”

A range of minority leaders and activists had supported Superior Court Judge Melissa Long, a Black woman and Raimondo made the appointment today.

Raimondo claims her appointment are historic and they include the minority to the Rhode Island Supreme Court, first Asian-American to the Rhode Island Superior Court, first Latina to the Rhode Island Family Court, and first majority-female Supreme Court in Rhode Island history. Supreme Court nominees must be confirmed by the House and Senate.

Supreme Court - Melissa A. Long

Melissa A. Long, who currently serves as an Associate Justice of the Rhode Island Superior Court, makes history as the first person of color nominated to serve on the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Governor Raimondo appointed Judge Long to the Rhode Island Superior Court in 2017. Judge Long was previously the Deputy Secretary of State and Director of Administration in the Rhode Island Office of the Secretary of State. Prior to that, she served in a variety of roles at the state Department of Transportation, including Senior Legal Counsel and Title VI Coordinator. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the George Mason University School of Law and lives in Providence with her husband and three children.

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Lynch Prata has no judicial experience but has been close allies to Raimondo

Supreme Court - Erin Lynch Prata

Governor Raimondo is also appointing Erin Lynch Prata to the Supreme Court. In addition to her experience as a member of the Rhode Island State Senate and Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Lynch Prata will bring to the role nearly two decades of litigation experience. She has represented clients before the Rhode Island Superior Court, Family Court and District Court, among others, and started her career clerking for Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg. Lynch Prata received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Boston College in 1997 and a Juris Doctor from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law in 2000.

Superior Court - Linda Rekas Sloan

Linda Rekas Sloan of West Greenwich is the first Asian-American woman nominated to serve on the Rhode Island Superior Court. A graduate of Providence College and the Boston University School of Law with nearly 30 years of legal experience, Linda currently works full-time as Assistant Vice President & Counsel at Fidelity National Title Group and part-time as the sole member of Linda Rekas Sloan, LLC.

Superior Court - Richard Raspallo

Governor Raimondo is nominating Richard D. Raspallo of Cranston to the Rhode Island Superior Court. A close ally of soon to be former Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello. Raspallo has served as a Superior Court Magistrate since 2017. Prior to that, he worked as legal counsel to the Rhode Island General Assembly--including for the Rhode Island House Speaker and House Majority Leader--for 15 years. He also has nearly two decades of private practice experience. A lifelong Rhode Islander, he is a graduate of Cranston High School West, the University of Rhode Island and the Roger Williams University School of Law.

Family Court - Elizabeth Ortiz

Elizabeth Ortiz, a first-generation Colombian-American, is the first Latina nominated to serve on the Rhode Island Family Court. In addition to owning a private practice where she represents clients in custody and divorce matters, she is currently a Municipal Court Judge in Central Falls. From 2012 to 2019, she was an adjunct faculty member at the Community College of Rhode Island in the Legal Studies Department. Ortiz frequently performs pro bono legal work, representing clients in litigation, offering her services as a Guardian Ad Litem, and providing consulting work to the Rhode Island ACLU. She lives in Warwick and is a graduate of the Community College of Rhode Island, Roger Williams University and the Roger Williams University School of Law.

Workers’ Compensation Court - Kevin Reall

Governor Raimondo is nominating Kevin Reall to the Rhode Island Workers’ Compensation Court. A sole proprietor with more than three decades of legal experience, his concentration is in areas of negligence and workers’ compensation. He has run his own private practice since 2010. He previously worked for the Rhode Island General Assembly and clerked for both the Rhode Island Supreme Court and Providence Housing Court. He is a graduate of Providence College and the Suffolk University School of Law.

 

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