Last spring, the Judicial Nominating commission forwarded Governor Gina Raimondo five finalists for the Family Court Judge position. Periodically the Governor appoints a new family court judge.
Upon the upcoming return of the General Assembly on September 19th, Raimondo appointed the current Family Court magistrate Felix “Feidlim” Gill to the RI Family Court bench. The other finalists initially included: Magistrates Paul T. Jones, Charles J. Levesque, Angela B. Paulhus and Jane F. Howlett.
Family Court Chief Judge Bedrosian selected Gill, the brother-in-law of Senate Majority Leader Michael J McCaffrey, in 2013 as the family court magistrate. Initially, prior to 2013 Gill held the position of assistant attorney general. He was in charge of Narcotics and organized crime unit in Providence. Gill earned his law degree from the Suffolk University School of Law. And he earned his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Rhode Island. He has also instructed Johnson & Whales University students and trained local and state police officers on juvenile justice.
New Family Court Judge Was Magistrate
“Feidlim brings almost two decades of legal experience to the bench, including serving the past four years as a Family Court magistrate. I am confident that he will treat everyone who comes before him with compassion and respect” Raimondo said
Now, by filling the Judge position, RI has now opened the $148,460-a-year magistrate job for a new appointee.
Source: Providence Journal “Raimondo elevates Family Court magistrate to Judge” September 1, 2017