Rhode Island § 8-16-7 - Commission on Judicial Tenure and Discipline

§ 8-16-7. Power of the supreme court to discipline, suspend, or remove judges.

(a) Whenever the commission shall have recommended reprimand, censure, suspension, immediate temporary suspension, removal, or retirement of a judge from office and filed its findings and recommendations with the chief justice of the supreme court, and those recommendations have been affirmed or modified, after compliance has been had with the provisions of § 8-16-6 providing for a review of the recommendations by the supreme court, that court shall and hereby is empowered to take such action and to issue such process as may be required to give effect to the recommendations of the commission as affirmed or modified. Orders entered by the supreme court pursuant to this subsection shall be public and shall be published in the same manner as other orders of the supreme court.

(b) Whenever the commission shall recommend the removal of a justice of the supreme court from office and the recommendation has been approved after compliance has been had with the provisions of § 8-16-6 providing for a review of the recommendations by the supreme court, that court shall thereupon transmit its findings and recommendation to the speaker of the house of representatives recommending therein the initiation of proceedings for the removal of the justice of the supreme court pursuant to the provisions of article X, § 4, and article XI of the constitution of this state, providing for the impeachment or removal of justices of the supreme court.

(c) Whenever the supreme court shall, upon review, reject a recommendation of the commission, it shall set forth its reasons therefor in a written decision which shall be public and shall be published in the same manner as other decisions of the supreme court.