In 1999 appeals dipped below 600 for the first time at the Rhode Island Supreme Court. The “State of Rhode Island 1999 Report on the Judiciary,” published by “Judiciary Rhode Island,” shows a decline in both the Supreme Court and the Superior Court.
Fewer petitions for writs of certiorari (requests for a shift of the case to a higher jurisdiction for review) were cited as the reason for the decrease in docketed cases. Petitions for certiorari fell by almost 21 percent compared to last year, and by 35 percent compared to five years ago.
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The report shows that dispositions fell slightly below new appeals, and that the total number disposed was 15 less than the number docketed.
Why did this happen?
The report indicates it occurred in part because the court has become current in hearing cases on the oral argument calendar and had fewer cases available.
According to the report, the court has never been so current in hearing cases for oral argument. Establishing a goal of 300 days from docketing to disposition of appeals, roughly 47 percent of the cases disposed were within the guideline.
In Superior Court, both the pending criminal caseload and the number of civil cases on the trial calendar went down significantly. The Judiciary Rhode Island’s report showed that the number of civil cases pending trial in Providence County dipped below 3,000 for the first time since statistics have been kept.
Felony filings decreased 9 percent in Providence and Kent Counties, showed little change in Washington County and climbed 10.5 percent in Newport County.
Misdemeanor filings jumped by almost 14 percent since the previous year in Providence and Kent County.
The felony disposition rate in Washington County was 92 percent, and 87 percent in Newport County, while in Providence and Kent County, felony dispositions exceeded filings.
Fifty-three 53 percent of the cases disposed of in Providence County were handled within the 180-day guideline. In Washington County, it was 62 percent; in Newport, 80 percent, and in Kent County, 69 percent.
The report showed that Providence County made gains in reducing the number of felony cases pending over 180 days from arraignment compared to a year ago. In other counties though, the number pending over 180 days increased. In Kent County, the felonies pending over 180 days were 29 percent of the total, 25 percent in Washington County, 40 percent in Newport County and 43 percent in Providence County.
According to the report, misdemeanor dispositions exceeded filings in Providence and Newport Counties and were on par with filings in Washington County. In Kent County, however, dispositions fell below filings with a 77 percent disposition rate for the year. There were only 74 misdemeanor cases pending in the three counties outside of Providence combined. The number pending in Providence was 188.
As for civil cases, Providence County, Kent County and Newport County Superior Courts were able to dispose of more cases than were added to the trial calendar for the year while dispositions fell short of the number added in Washington County.
There were 703 cases disposed of through arbitration and mediation programs this year, which was a slight decline from a year ago, according to the report.
Chief Justice Joseph R. Weisberger said 1999 was a productive year for the Rhode Island judiciary.
“A number of improvements were accomplished in each of the six courts which make up the unified judicial system,” he said.
