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SB 2947

AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- COURTS -- JUDICIAL SELECTION

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Jonathon Acosta and 8 co-sponsors

Rhode Island’s JNC must use a blind, standardized merit-based process with annual diversity reporting to select best-qualified judges.

05/28/2026 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
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Bill Summary · SB 2947

Bill Summary: SB 2947 (Rhode Island, 2026) – Judicial Selection

Purpose and intent

  • Establishes reforms to the Rhode Island Judicial Nominating Commission’s (JNC) process for selecting best-qualified nominees.
  • Aims to promote merit-based selection with transparent, standardized methods and enhanced consideration of diversity.
  • Introduces annual reporting on applicant diversity and bias considerations, and requires a blind initial review of applications.

Key provisions and changes

1) Criteria for selecting best-qualified nominees (Section 8-16.1-4)
- The JNC shall consider factors including: intellect, ability, temperament, impartiality, diligence, experience, maturity, education, publications, and record of public/community/government service.
- Eligibility requirement: at the time of consideration, nominees must be attorneys licensed to practice in Rhode Island and current members in good standing of the Rhode Island Bar Association.
- Diversity goals: The JNC must make reasonable efforts to encourage racial, ethnic, and gender diversity in the judiciary and report annually to the General Assembly and the Governor on:
- (i) race, ethnicity, and gender statistics of applicants considered in the prior year.
- (ii) efforts to enhance diversity in the judiciary during the prior year.
- Application process and data handling:
- Applicants’ identifying information intended to reveal race, ethnicity, or gender shall be collected anonymously for the purposes of the initial assessment.
- Applicants are not required to provide identifying information as a prerequisite to consideration.
- The commission may disqualify candidates with a demonstrated bias against historically disadvantaged classes.
- Reports must be publicly available.
- The commission may consider a candidate’s sensitivity to historically disadvantaged classes.
- Mechanisms to request information from applicants will be determined by the commission via rule-making.

2) Standardized, merit-based selection process (Section 8-16.1-4)
- The JNC must establish a standardized merit-based process that includes:
- An initial blind review of applications before any interview or public hearing.
- Redaction of identifying information (e.g., name, information likely to disclose identity) during preliminary evaluation.
- Evaluation of applicants using uniform, job-related criteria published in advance on the commission’s website.
- Use of structured evaluation instruments or scoring rubrics to ensure recommendations are based on published merit criteria.

3) Administrative and procedural details
- The act as introduced requires the JNC to implement these changes and publish criteria and rules.
- The act takes effect upon passage.

Who is affected

  • Rhode Island Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) and its operations.
  • Legal applicants seeking judicial positions (state court judges, etc.) who would undergo the JNC’s blind and standardized evaluation process.
  • Rhode Island Bar Association and the public, through annual diversity reports and transparency measures.
  • Government and public stakeholders interested in judicial diversity, merit, and selection procedures.

Timeline and procedural notes

  • The bill was introduced on March 4, 2026, and referred to Senate Judiciary.
  • The act would take effect upon passage.
  • An eventual implementation would include annual reporting and the establishment of standardized criteria, with ongoing rule-making authority for the commission to determine reporting formats and data collection methods.

Potential impact

  • Increased transparency in judicial selection through publicly available merit criteria and annual diversity reporting.
  • Reduction of potential bias in initial candidate screening by implementing blind application reviews.
  • Strengthened emphasis on diversity as part of the selection process, while preserving merit as the central criterion.
  • Greater consistency in evaluation across applicants via standardized criteria and rubrics.

Note

  • The bill emphasizes anonymity in the initial stage to mitigate biases, with ongoing reporting to monitor progress in diversity and fairness.
  • Final details will depend on the commission’s implementing rules and any subsequent legislative actions.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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