Bill Sponsors
LaMountain, Famiglietti, Ciccone, Tikoian, Gallo, DiPalma, Gu, Felag, Murray, and Sosnowski
Committee
Senate Judiciary
Summary
Select
This bill establishes a dedicated "domestic violence calendar" within the Rhode Island Superior Court. It creates a specialized schedule specifically for hearing and resolving felony domestic violence cases, including violations of no-contact orders and offenses involving weapons. The court's presiding justice will assign necessary staff to manage these cases, which will be given priority in scheduling. It also grants this new calendar shared authority with other court calendars to handle these specific criminal actions and allows the presiding justice to create rules to coordinate with the District and Family courts.
Sponsor
Analysis
Pros for Progressives
- Prioritizing domestic violence cases enhances protections for victims, who are disproportionately women and marginalized individuals, fostering a safer community.
- Centralizing these cases allows for consistent judicial oversight, which can lead to fairer outcomes and better coordination of social services for affected families.
- Expediting the legal process reduces the prolonged trauma victims often experience while waiting for court dates, aligning with a trauma-informed approach to justice.
Cons for Progressives
- Creating a specialized court focused solely on domestic violence felonies might lead to more punitive measures and higher incarceration rates rather than focusing on restorative justice and rehabilitation.
- Expedited processing could inadvertently rush cases, potentially compromising the due process rights of defendants from lower-income or marginalized communities who rely on overburdened public defenders.
- The bill focuses heavily on judicial and punitive mechanisms rather than allocating resources toward community-based prevention, mental health support, or affordable housing for victims.
Pros for Conservatives
- Creates a more efficient court system by prioritizing and centralizing domestic violence cases, which helps clear court backlogs and ensures swift justice.
- Enforces strict law and order by ensuring that violations of no-contact orders and crimes involving weapons are dealt with quickly and consistently.
- Protects the traditional family structure and vulnerable individuals from violence by holding criminal offenders accountable through specialized judicial oversight.
Cons for Conservatives
- Expands the administrative scope and bureaucracy of the judicial system by creating a new specialized calendar and requiring additional administrative rules and protocols.
- Expediting domestic violence accusations might lead to rushed judgments, potentially infringing on the due process rights and personal freedoms of the accused before all evidence is fully weighed.
- Granting the presiding justice broad authority to assign personnel and create administrative orders could be seen as an overreach of judicial power without sufficient legislative oversight.
Constitutional Concerns
None Likely. This bill pertains to the internal administrative organization and scheduling of the Rhode Island Superior Court. While it prioritizes certain criminal cases, it explicitly states that proceedings must be "consistent with the rights of the parties," thereby preserving constitutional due process protections for defendants.
Impact Overview
Groups Affected
- Domestic violence victims
- Domestic violence defendants
- Superior Court judges
- Court personnel
- Criminal defense attorneys
Towns Affected
All
Cost to Taxpayers
Amount unknown
Revenue Generated
None
BillBuddy Impact Ratings
Importance
Measures population affected and overall level of impact.
Freedom Impact
Level of individual freedom impacted by the bill.
Public Services
How much the bill is likely to impact one or more public services.
Regulatory
Estimated regulatory burden imposed on the subject(s) of the bill.
Clarity of Bill Language
How clear the language of the bill is. Higher ambiguity equals a lower score.
Enforcement Provisions
Measures enforcement provisions and penalties for non-compliance (if applicable).
Environmental Impact
Impact the bill will have on the environment, positive or negative.
Privacy Impact
Impact the bill is likely to have on the privacy of individuals.
Bill Status
Current Status
Held
Comm Passed
Floor Passed
Law
History
• 05/15/2026 Introduced, referred to Senate Judiciary
Bill Text
SECTION 1. Legislative findings and purpose.
The general assembly hereby finds and declares that domestic violence offenses present a significant threat to public safety, frequently involve repeat conduct, and require coordinated and consistent judicial oversight. The general assembly further finds that the centralized and expedited disposition of such cases within the superior court will promote the fair and efficient administration of justice, enhance victim safety, and ensure the consistent application and enforcement of bail conditions and no-contact orders.
SECTION 2. Chapter 8-2 of the General Laws entitled "Superior Court" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:
8-2-15.2. Domestic violence calendar.
(a) Establishment. There is hereby established within the Rhode Island superior court a separate calendar to be known as the “domestic violence calendar” for the hearing and disposition of domestic violence cases within the jurisdiction of the superior court.
(b) Eligible cases. The domestic violence calendar shall include the following actions within the jurisdiction of the superior court:
(1) All criminal proceedings alleging the commission of a felony offense constituting domestic violence, as defined in § 12-29-2;
(2) All felony offenses involving violations of no-contact orders or protective orders arising from domestic violence matters;
(3) All felony offenses involving the use, possession, or discharge of a weapon in connection with a domestic violence offense; and
(4) Any other criminal proceedings arising from the same act or transaction or otherwise related to a domestic violence matter, as the presiding justice or the court deems appropriate for inclusion on the domestic violence calendar.
(c) Assignment of personnel. The presiding justice of the superior court shall assign personnel to the extent warranted to hear cases on the domestic violence calendar and may provide for the consistent assignment of such cases in order to promote continuity of judicial oversight, where practicable.
(d) Priority of proceedings. Cases assigned to the domestic violence calendar shall be given priority in scheduling and disposition, consistent with the rights of the parties.
(e) Concurrent jurisdiction. The "domestic violence calendar" shall have concurrent jurisdiction with any other calendar of the superior court to hear and decide all criminal actions brought pursuant to the violations of chapters 5, 9, 29, 37, 47 and 68 of title 11 and any offense constituting domestic violence as provided pursuant to § 12-29-2, as long as the criminal action involves domestic violence as defined in § 15-15-1.
(f) Administration. The presiding justice may adopt administrative orders, rules, and protocols as are necessary to implement the provisions of this section, including coordination, where appropriate, with the Rhode Island district court and the Rhode Island family court.
(g) Construction. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the authority of the superior court to control its calendar, assign cases, or otherwise manage its docket as provided by law.
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.
The general assembly hereby finds and declares that domestic violence offenses present a significant threat to public safety, frequently involve repeat conduct, and require coordinated and consistent judicial oversight. The general assembly further finds that the centralized and expedited disposition of such cases within the superior court will promote the fair and efficient administration of justice, enhance victim safety, and ensure the consistent application and enforcement of bail conditions and no-contact orders.
SECTION 2. Chapter 8-2 of the General Laws entitled "Superior Court" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:
8-2-15.2. Domestic violence calendar.
(a) Establishment. There is hereby established within the Rhode Island superior court a separate calendar to be known as the “domestic violence calendar” for the hearing and disposition of domestic violence cases within the jurisdiction of the superior court.
(b) Eligible cases. The domestic violence calendar shall include the following actions within the jurisdiction of the superior court:
(1) All criminal proceedings alleging the commission of a felony offense constituting domestic violence, as defined in § 12-29-2;
(2) All felony offenses involving violations of no-contact orders or protective orders arising from domestic violence matters;
(3) All felony offenses involving the use, possession, or discharge of a weapon in connection with a domestic violence offense; and
(4) Any other criminal proceedings arising from the same act or transaction or otherwise related to a domestic violence matter, as the presiding justice or the court deems appropriate for inclusion on the domestic violence calendar.
(c) Assignment of personnel. The presiding justice of the superior court shall assign personnel to the extent warranted to hear cases on the domestic violence calendar and may provide for the consistent assignment of such cases in order to promote continuity of judicial oversight, where practicable.
(d) Priority of proceedings. Cases assigned to the domestic violence calendar shall be given priority in scheduling and disposition, consistent with the rights of the parties.
(e) Concurrent jurisdiction. The "domestic violence calendar" shall have concurrent jurisdiction with any other calendar of the superior court to hear and decide all criminal actions brought pursuant to the violations of chapters 5, 9, 29, 37, 47 and 68 of title 11 and any offense constituting domestic violence as provided pursuant to § 12-29-2, as long as the criminal action involves domestic violence as defined in § 15-15-1.
(f) Administration. The presiding justice may adopt administrative orders, rules, and protocols as are necessary to implement the provisions of this section, including coordination, where appropriate, with the Rhode Island district court and the Rhode Island family court.
(g) Construction. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the authority of the superior court to control its calendar, assign cases, or otherwise manage its docket as provided by law.
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.