Title 8, Title 8 and Civil Procedure — Courts

The superior court shall, except as otherwise provided by law, have exclusive original jurisdiction of suits and proceedings of an equitable character and of statutory proceedings following the course of equity; provided, however, that every probate court shall have the power, co…

Notwithstanding the existence of any agreement providing for the resolution of disputes, contract violations, or grievances by way of arbitration or other statutory means, the superior court shall have equity jurisdiction to issue temporary restraining orders and injunctions to m…

(a) The superior court shall have original jurisdiction of all actions at law where title to real estate or some right or interest therein is in issue, except actions for possession of tenements let or held at will or by sufferance; and shall have exclusive original jurisdiction …

The superior court shall have original jurisdiction of all crimes, offenses, and misdemeanors, except as otherwise provided by law, and shall sentence all persons found guilty before it to the punishment prescribed by law. All indictments found by grand juries shall be returned i…

(a) Findings and declarations. The General Assembly finds that: (1) There has been significant growth in the use of firearms in the commission of violent crimes. (2) Many of the shootings are drug or gang related and endanger law abiding citizens. (3) Many of the gun offenses are…

The superior court shall have jurisdiction of such motions for new trials as may be provided by law, and concurrently with the supreme court shall have jurisdiction of writs of habeas corpus, mandamus, quo warranto, and informations in the nature of quo warranto.

The superior court shall have jurisdiction of such appeals and statutory proceedings as may be provided by law, and may exercise general probate jurisdiction in all cases brought before it on appeal from probate courts, or when such jurisdiction is properly involved in suits in e…

Any one justice of the superior court shall be a quorum for all purposes, except as otherwise provided; but the court may, when so ordered by the presiding justice, be held for any purpose by two (2) or more justices, to be designated as provided in § 8-2-4.

Superior courts may be held, with or without juries, by different justices at the same time and in different places in the same county or in different counties.

Any justice of the supreme court may exercise in the vacation of the superior court all the powers which may be exercised during such time by a justice of the superior court.

Whenever any justice of the superior court shall cease to be a justice thereof by reason of elevation to the supreme court, resignation, or retirement, he or she shall have the power to exercise the function of a justice of the superior court for the purpose of rendering a decisi…

(a) Any civil cause or any question of law or fact therein may, by consent of the parties and with approval of the court, be tried and determined in any county. When civil actions involving a common question of law or fact are pending in different counties, the court may in the i…

The superior court may order the papers in any cause to be sent from one county to another; and in matters heard in any county other than that in which the cause was entered, the court shall certify the proceedings to the clerk of the court in the county in which the cause was en…

Whenever it shall be made to appear to the satisfaction of the superior court, as provided in § 8-2-30, by either party to any civil action, suit, or proceeding now or hereafter pending therein, that by reason of local prejudice or other cause the parties to the action or proceed…

A superior court shall be held at such times and places as shall be appointed by law, by such of the justices thereof as shall be designated from time to time by the presiding justice.

Applications for the removal of any civil action, suit, or proceeding, as provided in § 8-2-29, shall be by petition setting forth the cause or reasons therefor, which petition shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the superior court for the county where the action, suit, …

If, upon hearing the petition and the evidence thereon, the court shall be of opinion that a full, fair, and impartial trial cannot be had in the court for the county where the cause shall have been commenced or is pending, the court shall make an order of removal, directing the …

If an entire cause shall have been removed under the provisions of this chapter, all further proceedings in the cause shall be taken as if the cause had been commenced in the county to which it was removed. If less than the entire cause shall have been removed, then upon determin…

Any justice of the superior court may order special service of any process, original or auxiliary, in any proceeding within the jurisdiction of the court, by personal notice, notice by mail, or publication in a newspaper within or without the state, for the purpose of dealing wit…

All grand juries shall be impaneled by the superior court. They shall be empowered, required, and charged to diligently inquire and make true presentment of all crimes and offenses done or committed within their jurisdiction, and shall, insofar as may be deemed necessary, be inst…

The superior court may arraign all persons presented by a grand jury or charged by information filed by the attorney general, and may require such persons to plead to the indictment against them, if in custody, or if taken while the court is in session; and if not in custody, or …

The superior court may admit to bail all persons brought before it for any offense whatsoever.

The superior court may require the complainant in any criminal pleading pending therein to give recognizance with sufficient surety to prosecute his or her complaint, with effect, and in default thereof the court may dismiss the complaint.

In every case, civil and criminal, tried in the superior court with a jury, the justice presiding shall instruct the jury in the law relating to the action, and may sum up the evidence therein to the jury whenever he or she may deem it advisable so to do; but any material misstat…

(a) There is hereby created within the superior court the position of general magistrate who shall be appointed by the presiding justice of the superior court, with the advice and consent of the senate, for a term of ten (10) years and until a successor is appointed and qualified…

There is hereby created within the superior court the position of special magistrate, who shall be appointed by the presiding justice of the superior court, with the advice and consent of the senate, for a period of ten (10) years, and until a successor is appointed and qualified…

(a) For the purposes of this chapter: (1) “Non-violent” means and includes all charges that are not crimes of violence, the following being a list of all charges considered to be crimes of violence for the purposes of this section: murder, manslaughter, first-degree arson, kidnap…

(a) In accordance with § 8-6-2, the superior court may create, with the approval of the supreme court, rules for a superior court diversion program. The presiding justice may assign a justice or magistrate to administer the diversion program. The program is designed to offer an a…

The presiding justice of the superior court shall be the administrative judge. He or she shall be the administrative head of the superior court and have supervision and control of the calendars and of the assignment of justices. All court stenographers and secretaries shall be un…

(a) Findings and declarations. The general assembly finds and declares that: (1) There are significant delays in the development permitting process in the State of Rhode Island which results in lost opportunity for the needed development of housing units and commercial developmen…

The administrative judge shall also be charged with the general responsibility for making any recommendations to the chief justice that he or she may believe important concerning the work of the superior court or any officers in any way connected therewith.

The judges of the superior court shall comply with all requests made by the administrative judge for information and statistical data bearing on the state of the dockets of the court and such other information as may reflect the business, and the state of business, transacted by …