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Paul Suttell | |
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| 40thChief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court | |
| Assumed office July 16, 2009 | |
| Appointed by | Donald Carcieri |
| Preceded by | Frank J. Williams |
| Associate Justice of theRhode Island Supreme Court | |
| In office July 9, 2003 – July 16, 2009 | |
| Appointed by | Donald Carcieri |
| Preceded by | Victoria Lederberg |
| Succeeded by | Gilbert V. Indeglia |
| Member of theRhode Island House of Representatives | |
| In office 1983–1990 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1949-01-10)January 10, 1949 (age 76) Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Northwestern University (BA) Suffolk University (JD) |
Paul Allyn Suttell[1] (born January 10, 1949) is the chief justice of theRhode Island Supreme Court.
Suttell graduated from theMoses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island.[1] He then attendedNorthwestern University inEvanston, Illinois, from which he graduated in 1971. He received hisJ.D. degree fromSuffolk University Law School in 1976.[2]
He began his legal career in Pawtucket with the firm of Crowe, Chester & Adams, and then as an associate with Beals & DiFiore in Providence from 1978 to 1990. He served as legal counsel to the House Minority Leader in theRhode Island House of Representatives from 1979 to 1982.
Suttell served in theRhode Island House of Representatives between 1982 and 1990 as a member of theRepublican Party, representing a district that encompassed Little Compton and portions of Tiverton and Portsmouth. In his second term, he was elected by his colleagues as Deputy Minority Leader and served in that capacity until 1990. During his tenure in theRhode Island General Assembly, he served on the House Committees on the Judiciary, Corporations, and Special Legislation, the Joint Committees on the Environment and the Arts, and the Agricultural Land Preservation Commission, the Newport County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Lottery Commission. In 1988, he was elected as a delegate to theRepublican National Convention in New Orleans.
On July 9, 1990, Suttell was appointed by GovernorEdward D. DiPrete as an associate justice of the Rhode Island Family Court. During his time on the trial bench, he presided over the juvenile wayward and delinquency, child abuse and neglect, termination of parental rights, and domestic calendars.
After serving for thirteen years on the Rhode Island Family Court, Suttell was appointed by GovernorDonald L. Carcieri as an associate justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court on July 9, 2003. Governor Carcieri also appointed him as the chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court effective July 16, 2009.
Suttell is aLittle Compton, Rhode Island resident and serves on numerous community and nonprofit organizations. He was the moderator and former chairman of the Trustees of the Little Compton United Congregational Church and a past president of both the Little Compton Historical Society and Sakonnet Preservation Association. Currently, he is a director of the Historical Society.
| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Chief Justice of theRhode Island Supreme Court 2009–present | Incumbent |
Statewide political officials ofRhode Island | ||
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