Welcome to the Rhode Island Judiciary’s website. It is my fervent hope that you will find the information on these pages useful, and that they will educate you about the workings of our court system.

I am pleased to report a couple of noteworthy additions to our judicial infrastructure as we continue our mission to build a legacy of justice, accessibility, and openness for this generation and those to come.

We have opened two new courthouses since the summer of 2006. Most recently, we opened the new Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal in January 2007 on the grounds of the John O. Pastore Government Center in Cranston. This state-of-the-art building is conveniently located at the intersection of New London and Howard avenues. The Traffic Tribunal is our state’s busiest court, generating nearly half of our annual caseload. It is where most people receive their introduction to Rhode Island’s court system. While attending court may not be the highlight of your day, our former traffic court on Harris Avenue in Providence did little to ease the burden, having gained notoriety for its long waiting lines, confused parking, and proximity to an adult entertainment venue.

The new facility in Cranston has plentiful free parking – more than 450 spaces – and the long lines have disappeared. It is a place of which all who use it – employees and the public – can be proud. The building was designed by Edward Rowse Architects and built by O. Alhborg & Sons. I think it is an award-winner.

In August 2006, we opened the long-awaited replacement for the Kent County Courthouse in Warwick. The new courthouse, with its signature glass sail to reflect our heritage as the Ocean State, is four times larger than its predecessor, a decrepit office building that was retrofitted for court use, but was never a comfortable fit with its security, privacy, air quality and space problems. The new facility includes an adjacent parking deck with spaces for 530 vehicles.

Both new courthouses have electronic monitors in the lobbies and outside each courtroom with directories and court calendars, to assist members of the public in finding their way.

We also hope to build a new courthouse in Blackstone Valley, perhaps in Lincoln. This would solve two problems. It would serve the residents of northern Rhode Island who now must travel to Providence for court business. It would also relieve the congestion in our Garrahy Judicial Complex in Providence, where the Family, District and Workers’ Compensation courts are serving twice as many people as that building was designed to handle, and where free parking is hard to come by.

On behalf of the Rhode Island Judiciary, I would like to thank you for your continued support of the construction of our new courthouses. I encourage you to drive by these magnificent new structures to see for yourselves. After all, they belong to you.