AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- COURTS -- JUDICIAL SELECTION (Requires the JNC to establish standardized merit-based selection process and that applications be evaluated according to uniform, job-related criteria adopted in advance and published on the commission's website.)

H8049

2026 -- H 8049
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LC005514
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- COURTS -- JUDICIAL SELECTION

Introduced By:
Representatives Kislak, Tanzi, Cruz, Handy, and Ajello

Date Introduced:
February 27, 2026

Referred To:
House Judiciary
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Section 8-16.1-4 of the General Laws in Chapter 8-16.1 entitled "Judicial
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Selection" is hereby amended to read as follows:
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8-16.1-4. Criteria for selection of best qualified nominees.
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(a) The commission shall consider, but is not limited to, the following factors in selecting
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the best qualified nominees: intellect, ability, temperament, impartiality, diligence, experience,
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maturity, education, publications, and record of public, community, and government service. Every
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person shall, at the time of consideration by the commission, be an attorney and licensed to practice
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law in the state of Rhode Island and be a current member of the Rhode Island bar association in
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good standing.
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(b) The commission shall exercise reasonable efforts to encourage racial, ethnic, and
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gender diversity within the judiciary of this state. To further this goal, on an annual basis, the
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commission shall report to the general assembly and to the governor on (i) the statistics regarding
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the race, ethnicity and gender of applicants considered by the commission in the previous year and
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(ii) efforts made by the commission during the previous year to encourage racial, ethnic and gender
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diversity within the judiciary of this state. The form of the report and the means by which the
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commission shall request the necessary information from applicants shall be determined by the
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commission pursuant to its rule-making authority, except that no applicant shall be required to
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provide the information as a prerequisite to consideration, and the identifying information with
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respect to race, ethnicity and gender shall be collected anonymously from applicants. The report

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shall be made available to the public. The commission shall also consider the candidate’s sensitivity
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to historically disadvantaged classes, and may disqualify any candidate with a demonstrated history
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of bias towards any of these classes.
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(c) The commission shall establish a standardized merit-based selection process that
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includes an initial blind review of applications prior to any interview or public hearing. Identifying
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information, including the applicant’s name and any other information reasonably likely to disclose
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the applicant’s identity, shall be redacted for purposes of preliminary evaluation. The commission’s
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rules shall require that applicants be evaluated according to uniform, job-related criteria adopted in
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advance and published on the commission’s website. The rules shall also require structured
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evaluation instruments or scoring rubrics sufficient to demonstrate that recommendations are based
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on the published merit criteria.
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SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- COURTS -- JUDICIAL SELECTION
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This act would require the judicial nominating commission to establish a standardized
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merit-based selection process that includes an initial blind review of applications prior to any
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interview or public hearing and that applicants be evaluated according to uniform, job-related
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criteria adopted in advance and published on the commission’s website.
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This act would take effect upon passage.
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LC005514 - Page 3 of 3