McKee makes his picks for 5 nominees to fill vacant judge positions in Rhode Island
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Gov. Dan McKee nominated five people to lifetime judgeships in state courts Tuesday, while the Superior Court's presiding justice nominated two magistrates.
The judicial picks would fill spots on the bench in Superior Court, Family Court, District Court, and Workers’ Compensation Court.
They now head to the Senate for confirmation along with the two Superior Court magistrate nominees from presiding justice Alice Gibney.
The judicial nominees are:
◘ Kevin McHugh in Superior Court
◘ Jeanine Perella McConaghy and Shilpa Naik in Family Court
◘ William J. Trezvant in District Court
◘ George J. Lazieh in Workers' Compensation Court
The magistrate nominees are Gina K. Lopes and William P. Rampone.
“I know that with their diverse backgrounds, they will bring valuable experience to our courts and serve the state in a way that is fair and honorable," McKee said of the nominees in a news release.
The Judicial Nominating Commission selected a list of candidates for each of the positions this summer, and it's taken McKee several months to make his selections.
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Kevin McHugh
McHugh, 71, is a senior assistant city solicitor in Providence and has worked as a lawyer for the state Senate since 1994. This year he made $2,500 a month as legal council to the state Senate's Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs Committee, Senate spokesman Greg Pare said.
A Providence resident and Rhode Island College graduate, he is "the primary litigator in all cases alleging police brutality, and provides ongoing advice and education to both the Police and Fire Departments."
He would fill the seat vacated by Melissa Long when she was elevated to the state Supreme Court. It pays a salary of $170,545 per year.
Jeanine Perella McConaghy
McConaghy, 55, of Barrington, is an assistant attorney general and deputy chief of the criminal division. She would fill the seat left vacant by the retirement of Judge Rossie Lee Harris Jr.
Shilpa Naik
Naik, of Lincoln, is the first Indian-Asian American to be nominated to the Rhode Island Family Court. The 52-year-old has worked in Family Court as a court-appointed special advocate, in private practice and as a special assistant attorney general. She would fill a seat vacated by the retirement of Judge Stephen Capineri.
Both Family Court judgeships pay $170,545 per year.
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William J. Trezvant
Trezvant, 53, of Portsmouth, has been working at law firm Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara after 16 years in the attorney general's office. The only Black nominee in the group, he would fill the seat vacated by the retirement of Judge Madeline Quirk and would be paid $160,317 a year.
George J. Lazieh
Lazieh, 69, is a Cumberland resident who has "more than three decades of criminal, civil and workers compensation trial experience," McKee's office said. He would fill a seat vacated by the retirement of Judge Diane Connor and be paid $160,317 a year.
Magistrate nominees
Lopes, who would replace Patricia Harwood, is an assistant attorney general.
Rampone, who would replace Richard Raspallo as a magistrate, is a Providence Housing Court judge.
The Senate has been considering returning to session this fall to confirm judges and possibly vote on a spending bill.
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"These appointments will be reviewed expeditiously through a thorough and public Judiciary Committee hearing process," Pare said. "No timeline has been set for their consideration at this point."
If all of the nominees are confirmed, there would still be one vacancy on the Superior Court bench and one in Workers' Comp Court.
panderson@providencejournal.com
(401) 277-7384
On Twitter: @PatrickAnderso_
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI Gov. Dan McKee picks 5 nominees to fill vacant judge jobs
