Home Economy Government Judge seeks disciplinary action against Neronha

Judge seeks disciplinary action against Neronha

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12/08/2023

TEWIx5U0-Neronha — A R.I. SUPERIOR COURT judge is seeking disciplinary action against Attorney General Peter F. Neronha over his social media posts criticizing Rhode Island’s system for bench trials, according to news reports. / COURTESY PETER F. NERONHA

PROVIDENCE – A R.I. Superior Court judge is seeking disciplinary action against Attorney General Peter F. Neronha over his social media posts criticizing Rhode Island’s system for bench trials, WPRI-TV CBS 12 reported Friday. Judge Daniel A. Procaccini announced from the bench Friday that he forwarded a complaint to the state’s Office of the Disciplinary

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PROVIDENCE – A R.I. Superior Court judge is seeking disciplinary action against Attorney General Peter F. Neronha over his social media posts criticizing Rhode Island’s system for bench trials, WPRI-TV CBS 12 reported Friday. Judge Daniel A. Procaccini announced from the bench Friday that he forwarded a complaint to the state’s Office of the Disciplinary Counsel, which investigates and reviews all allegations of attorney misconduct, according to the report. Procaccini claims Neronha’s posts and subsequent media interviews about the matter represented five potential violations of the code of professional conduct that governs attorneys in Rhode Island. “It is this court’s position that the unprofessional, unethical and false statements related to the integrity of the Superior Court bench trial process ... must be addressed,” Procaccini told a packed courtroom that included a host of Rhode Island legal luminaries, including Jack Cicilline, Robert Corrente, Kevin Bristow and Steve Dambruch, according to WPRI. On Friday, Procaccini also forcefully rejected Neronha’s claim that forcing the attorney general to appear in court would be a violation of his due process and First Amendment rights. The clash escalated earlier this month when Neronha posted on X, formally Twitter, a negative comment about bench trials, cases decided by a judge instead of a jury. Procaccini often presides over bench trials. Procaccini had ordered Neronha to appear before him Friday, but Neronha's office released a statement late Thursday saying the attorney general had a significant COVID exposure while attending the National Association of Attorneys General Conference in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 4. “Under the advisement of my doctor, I will be quarantining and working remotely. I expect to return to the office next week,” Neronha said in the statement. “It follows that I will be unable to appear before Judge Procaccini tomorrow afternoon, but Miriam Weizenbaum, our Civil Division Chief, will attend the hearing on the motion to vacate the Order to Appear at 9:30 a.m.” After Friday's hearing, Neronha issued a 1,200-word statement defending himself. The attorney general doubled down on his claim that the state’s system for bench trials is a problem. “This dispute could easily have been resolved informally. Indeed, I tried many times to resolve it, both in writing and by calling the Court directly,” Neronha said. “I offered to issue a clarifying statement if the Court believed it was necessary. All to no avail. So here we are. “The court today has accused me of conduct in violation of the professional rules of responsibility and more. I categorically reject those accusations and have absolutely no doubt that any forum that may ultimately hear these accusations will reject them as well. I have not violated any rules of professional responsibility, nor have I violated any other rules,” Neronha said.