Vol. CXXXII · No. XCVSUNDAY, MAY 24, 2026Ocean State Edition

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95 articles · page 4 of 8
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RI judge says US Attorney's Office committed 'massive breach' of trust in ICE case

U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose told Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Bolan during a Monday hearing that his office's failure to disclose a murder warrant for an ICE detainee constituted a 'massive breach' of court trust. Bolan said ICE instructed him not to confirm or deny the warrant's existence until international authorization was secured. DuBose is moving forward with a formal disciplinary referral to the court's full disciplinary committee to ensure the issue is fully investigated.

bostonglobe.comMAY 10, 2026
JudiciaryGovernancePaywall

Law professor files ethics complaint over Shekarchi's Supreme Court bid

Roger Williams law professor Michael Yelnosky filed an ethics complaint with the Rhode Island Ethics Commission alleging former House Speaker Joe Shekarchi's application for a Supreme Court seat violates the state's 'revolving door' law. The statute bars elected officials from seeking state employment for one year after leaving office. Shekarchi contends the Supreme Court is a constitutional office exempt from the prohibition. The Ethics Commission is expected to conduct a preliminary review on June 2.

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© 2026 RI Capitol · All rights reserved.Aggregated summaries linking out to original sources. XPoLL.
bostonglobe.comMAY 10, 2026
JudiciaryCommunity

Child Advocate seeks emergency block of federal subpoena for minors' medical records

The Rhode Island Child Advocate filed an emergency motion to quash a DOJ subpoena demanding sensitive private medical records of minor patients who received treatment for gender dysphoria at Rhode Island Hospital. The motion, filed by attorneys from the Lawyers' Committee for Rhode Island and ACLU, argues the subpoena is an 'unprecedented intrusion' that violates children's constitutional privacy rights. The subpoena was both filed and approved on the same day by a Texas federal judge, without opportunity for response.

riaclu.orgMAY 10, 2026
JudiciaryFree press

Former Matos campaign worker pleads no contest in signature scandal, avoids prison

Christopher Cotham, 47, pleaded no contest to two felony counts of violating nomination papers and two misdemeanor counts after admitting he fabricated voter signatures for Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos' 2023 congressional campaign. He was sentenced to three years of unsupervised probation at Providence Superior Court. Cotham told state police he was paid $2 per signature and admitted looking up names and addresses online, then forging signatures — some of deceased voters. A co-defendant, Holly McClaren, also pleaded no contest last year.

wpri.comMAY 10, 2026
JudiciaryGovernancePaywall

House Speaker Shekarchi Steps Down, Seeks RI Supreme Court Appointment

Rhode Island House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi resigned from the speakership (but remains in the House) to apply for a vacancy on the Rhode Island Supreme Court, created by Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg's retirement. Shekarchi's move raises legal questions about the state's "revolving door" statute barring legislators from judicial appointments while in office and for one year thereafter. House Majority Leader Christopher Blazejewski has secured support to succeed Shekarchi as speaker.

bostonglobe.comMAY 9, 2026
JudiciaryGovernanceFree press

Ethics Complaint Filed Against Shekarchi Over Supreme Court Bid

Law professor Michael Yelnosky filed an ethics complaint challenging Speaker Shekarchi's application to the Rhode Island Supreme Court, alleging violation of the state's revolving door law, which requires legislators to wait one year before seeking another state position. The complaint argues Shekarchi may be using his speakership to gain unfair advantage over other judicial candidates. An adjudication is pending.

turnto10.comMAY 9, 2026
JudiciaryGovernancePaywall

House Elects Blazejewski Speaker After Shekarchi Resigns to Seek High Court

The Rhode Island House of Representatives elected Christopher Blazejewski as speaker on a 65–10 party-line vote after K. Joseph Shekarchi stepped down to apply for a state Supreme Court vacancy. Katherine Kazarian was elected majority leader, becoming the first woman in that role. The transition is rare mid-session and comes as the General Assembly enters the final stretch before the June budget deadline.

bostonglobe.comMAY 9, 2026
JudiciaryFree press

RI Supreme Court Rules Against PACE-RI in $1.2M Tax Exemption Case

The Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled that PACE Organization of RI, a Medicaid-funded healthcare nonprofit, is not eligible for tax exemption on $1.2 million in property taxes paid to East Providence. PACE had argued its facility qualifies under a statute for organizations aiding the "aged poor," but the court affirmed the trial court's denial. The decision clarifies the scope of century-old property tax exemption statutes.

eastbayri.comMAY 9, 2026
JudiciaryPaywall

Mass. Man Pleads No Contest in Matos Campaign Signature Forgery Scandal

Christopher Cotham, 47, pleaded no contest in Rhode Island Superior Court to charges of falsifying nomination papers for Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos' 2023 congressional campaign. Cotham received a three-year deferred sentence; hearing continues June 9. He was the second defendant convicted in the forgery scandal that derailed Matos' campaign. Holly McClaren, who hired Cotham, pleaded no contest in 2025 and received a suspended sentence with probation.

bostonglobe.comMAY 9, 2026
GovernanceJudiciaryFree press

Shekarchi Steps Down as House Speaker, Applies for Rhode Island Supreme Court Seat

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi resigned from his leadership post on May 7 to seek appointment to the Rhode Island Supreme Court, ending months of speculation. Shekarchi, 63, submitted his application for the vacancy created by Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg's retirement. He pledged to suspend political activity and fundraising while his application is reviewed by the Judicial Nominating Commission. Shekarchi will remain a House member but faces questions about state ethics code provisions barring lawmakers from seeking judicial appointments.

rhodeislandcurrent.comMAY 8, 2026
JudiciaryGovernancePaywall

Federal Judge Orders Re-Detention After ICE Withheld Murder Warrant

US District Judge Melissa R. DuBose ordered Bryan Rafael Gómez, a 27-year-old undocumented immigrant, be re-detained by ICE after the US Attorney's Office failed to disclose at ICE's direction that he was wanted on a homicide warrant in the Dominican Republic. DuBose initiated a disciplinary referral over the omission, calling it an 'egregious' breach of candor. The federal government later apologized, but DHS had publicly criticized DuBose as an 'activist judge' for releasing Gómez—a characterization the court called 'demonstratively false.'

bostonglobe.comMAY 7, 2026
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