Updated | May 29

PROVIDENCE – Gov. Donald L. Carcieri today nominated R.I. Supreme Court Justice Paul A. Suttell to be the court’s next chief justice. He would fill the vacancy left by former Chief Justice Frank Williams, who retired last December.

Suttell, 60, was first named to the Supreme Court by Carcieri in July 2003. Prior to that he had served for 13 years as an associate justice on the R.I. Family Court, and was a Republican member of the R.I. House of Representatives from 1983 to 1990, where he was deputy minority leader for five years, according to his state biography.

“Justice Suttell brings a wealth of judicial and scholarly experience to the position of chief justice,” Carcieri said in a statement. “He has served the public with the highest honor and distinction, first as a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives and later as a Family Court judge and Supreme Court justice. He is a dedicated and conscientious jurist, whose understanding of the law and ability to lead will serve him well as chief justice.”

In addition to his responsibilities as a jurist, the chief justice also serves as the head of the state judicial system, oversees the judiciary’s budget, and appoints the court administrator whose staff handles the judiciary’s budgetary and administrative affairs.

When Williams first announced his plans to step down late last fall, Suttell said: “His will be tremendous shoes to fill. The amount of responsibility is enormous.”

Suttell (pronounced suh-TELL) was born in Providence, and today lives in Little Compton with his wife, Mary. They have two children, William and Grace.

In a statement released by the courts, Suttell said: “I am humbled by the confidence that the governor has shown in me with his decision, particularly in light of the extraordinary quality of candidates he had to choose from.”

“This branch of government has been left in good shape by Chief Justice Williams, and I look forward to guiding the court through the coming challenges,” Suttell added.

The nomination will now move to the General Assembly, where the House and Senate must vote on whether to confirm him to the post. If Suttell is confirmed, Carcieri would then need to make another appointment to fill the seat on the five-member court that Suttell currently holds.

Suttell was one of five Rhode Island judges chosen as finalists for the chief justice post by the R.I. Judicial Nominating Commission. The others were Superior Court Associate Justice Francis J. Darigan Jr.; Supreme Court Justice Francis X. Flaherty; Interim Chief Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg; and Supreme Court Justice William P. Robinson III.

In his statement, Carcieri thanked all of those who put themselves forward as candidates for chief justice. “All of the candidates for chief justice are exemplary jurists, and I extend my continued appreciation and gratitude to each of them for their service to uphold the rule of law and assure justice for the people of Rhode Island,” the governor said.

McKenna Goldberg, who had been seen as a front-runner for the job, congratulated Suttell in a statement. “Rhode Island will be well-served by his appointment,” she said.

After graduating from Moses Brown School in Providence, Suttell received his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in 1971, and went on to earn a law degree at Suffolk University Law School, graduating in 1976. He was admitted the same year to the Rhode Island Bar and to practice in the U.S. District Court for Rhode Island, and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar the next year.

Suttell began his legal career in the law offices of Beals & DiFiore and Crowe, Chester & Adams, and served as legal counsel to the R.I. House Minority Leader from 1979 to 1982. In 1988, he was a delegate for Rhode Island to the Republican National Convention.

Suttell is a member of the Rhode Island, American, Massachusetts and Newport County Bar Associations, and a judicial member of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys.

Suttell also has served on a number nonprofit boards and associations in the state, including as director and past president of the Little Compton Historical Society and Sakonnet Preservation Association; director for the Rhode Island Lung Association; and member of the Rhode Island Agricultural Land Preservation Commission. He has also served as moderator, youth group advisor and past chair of the board of deacons and trustees for the United Congregational Church of Little Compton.

Suttell’s nomination won quick praise from a number of lawyers.

“He’s extremely fair-minded, extremely well-respected, does his homework and is an excellent appellate Supreme Court justice,” appellate lawyer Joseph Larisa Jr. told The Associated Press.

“I know he takes the job very seriously,” John Tarantino, another attorney, told The AP. “It's clear to me every time that I appear before him that he's read all of the briefs.”

Matthew Jerzyk, a political observer and an attorney at the Providence law firm DeLuca & Weizenbaum, wrote on his legal blog that he would “anticipate a quick and easy confirmation” for Suttell.

Additional information on the R.I. Supreme Court is available at Courts.RI.gov.