Title 8, Title 8 and Civil Procedure — Courts

(a) The clerk of the family court, with the approval of the chief judge thereof, shall appoint as many assistant clerks as may be necessary, who shall hold office until removal by the clerk or by a majority of the justices. (b) The clerk is hereby authorized and empowered to empl…

Each of the assistant clerks of the family court shall aid his or her principal in the discharge of his or her duties, and any act done by him or her, under direction of the clerk, in the line of duty of the clerk shall have the same force and effect as though done by the clerk; …

The justices of the family court, or a majority of them, may appoint a secretary and an assistant secretary who shall hold office during the pleasure of the court and shall perform such duties as may be required by the court.

The justices of the family court, or a majority of them, shall appoint competent shorthand writers or stenotypists for regular service in the court and one or more such writers for occasional service therein in the absence of other appointees, who shall be known as court stenogra…

All books, papers, recording media, and supplies necessary for the use of the court reporters and court recording clerks or similar recording personnel shall be furnished by the state, and the notebooks used and notes and recordings taken by them shall be the property of the stat…

Subject to the provisions of § 8-10-21, court reporters shall report stenographically, or court recording clerks or similar recording personnel shall report electronically, the proceedings in the trial of every action or proceeding, civil or criminal, in the family court. Each co…

(a) Like powers are hereby conferred upon the family court as are conferred upon the superior court by the provisions of § 8-6-1. (b) Provided, however, a justice of the family court shall notify the principal of a school that the court is ordering the placement of a juvenile in …

The justices of the family court or its magistrate(s) are hereby empowered, when ordering a noncomplying parent to the adult correctional institution or the women’s reformatory for contempt, to order immediate work release status for him or her.

To the family court shall also be referred for hearing, adjustment, reconciliation, decision, and sentence all causes properly brought in the court or appealed from other courts in which the defendant is accused, as provided by the statutes, of abandonment of his wife or her husb…

Those provisions of chapter 3 of this title, which relate to superior court justices, shall apply to the chief judge and associate justices of the family court and, for purposes of eligibility for retirement under § 8-3-7 as amended by chapter 2 of the public laws, 1959, service …

Any justice of the family court who shall resign in accordance with the provisions of § 8-3-9 may, at his or her own consent and on request of the chief judge of the court, be assigned to perform service as an associate justice thereof. When so assigned and performing such servic…

Wherever in any general or public law the words “juvenile court,” “judge of juvenile court,” or “chief judge of the juvenile court” shall appear, the terms shall mean and include “family court,” “justice of family court,” or “chief judge of the family court.” Wherever in any gene…

The chief judge of the family court or his or her designee shall fix the venue for trial of any person accused of any criminal offense which is subject to the jurisdiction of the family court.

The general assembly shall annually appropriate such sums as shall be necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter; and the state controller is hereby authorized and directed to draw his or her order on the general treasurer for the payment of such sum, or so much thereof …

The provisions of this chapter are severable, and if any of its provisions shall be held unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, the decision of that court shall not affect or impair any of the remaining provisions.

In all the causes in § 8-10-4, the family court shall seek to reconcile the parties and to re-establish friendly family relations, and to this end may suggest and hold conferences in chambers with the parties interested, and with their counsel, if they are represented by counsel …

The clerk of the family court shall notify the director of the department of human services of the names and addresses, if known to him or her, of the parties to any proceeding in the court, so that the director, if the parties or any of them are recipients of public assistance, …

Within the family court there shall be a family counselling service, consisting of such personnel as the court shall deem necessary to assist the court in advising and counselling the parties and whose qualifications shall be established by the court. The justices of the family c…

The department of human services shall provide for the family court the services of such physicians, psychiatrists, experts, and consultants approved by the court as shall be necessary to accomplish the purposes for which the court is established.

(a) The facilities of the department of corrections shall be available at all times to the court. The director of the department of corrections shall assign to service in the court a supervisor of probation counsellors, probation counsellors, and other workers to carry out the pu…

If any assignment day or any motion day occurs on a legal holiday, the assignment day or motion day shall be the following week day.

The superior court shall hold so many sessions upon motion days as may be necessary for the purpose of hearing motions for new trial and other motions and for hearing interlocutory matters in equity.

All motions in the supreme or superior court shall be in writing and, except ex parte motions, shall be filed at least sixty (60) hours, exclusive of Sundays and legal holidays, before being called for hearing; and, except in ex parte motions, notice in writing shall be served up…

All motions shall be docketed as filed, and shall be called in the order of filing, and, if not disposed of on motion day, shall be continued. A calendar shall be made up for each motion day.

All writs, actions, pleas, processes, precepts, recognizances, and other things whatsoever, returnable or having day in any court, shall stand, abide, and continue unto any adjournment made according to law and be held, deemed, and adjudged to be as effectual and available in law…

If from any cause any court in this state shall not be held at the time appointed by law, or to which it may have been adjourned, all business pending therein shall be proceeded with when the court next meets.

Whenever provision is made for the hearing of a matter on a day certain, it may be heard then or on some future day to which the court may assign the hearing, or on which all the parties in writing may agree and to which the court may assent.

(a) The clerks of the supreme, superior, family, district, workers’ compensation courts and the traffic tribunal shall, every year during the month of July, return to the state court administrator those funds which have been on deposit in the registry of the respective court for …

If, upon examination of the sworn statement required to be filed by the several clerks under the provisions of § 8-12-1, it appears to the state court administrator that there are deposits in the registry of the supreme court, the superior court, the family court, the district co…

(a) Any person who claims a right to money or funds paid to the general fund by the supreme court, the superior court, the family court, the district court, the workers’ compensation court and/or the traffic tribunal pursuant to § 8-12-2, may file a complaint in the superior cour…

A judicial council is hereby created for the study of the organization of the judicial system of the state and all matters relating to the administration of the system and its several departments of service. The judicial council shall consist of six (6) members of the bar of this…

In the month of January in each year, the governor shall appoint two (2) persons, qualified as provided in § 8-13-1, to succeed the members of the council whose offices shall next expire, to hold office for three (3) years and until their respective successors shall be appointed …

The members of the council shall annually choose from their own membership a chairperson and a secretary.

The judicial council may from time to time submit for the consideration of the justices of the various courts such suggestions in regard to the judicial system of the state as it may deem advisable, and it shall report annually to the governor on or before December the fifteenth …

The secretary of the council shall receive annually the sum of one thousand dollars ($1,000) as compensation for his or her services and the other members of the council shall serve without compensation but shall be allowed their necessary travel, clerical, and other expenses, an…

There shall be created a committee within the state court system with responsibility for the management, storage, and disposition of all state court records, including inactive records. The committee shall be composed of the following members: the chief justice of the supreme cou…

After a period of seven (7) years or more has lapsed since the disposition of a civil case or matter, an attorney may destroy his or her records relative to the case.

The supreme court, the superior court, the family court, the district court, the workers’ compensation court, and the traffic tribunal shall constitute a unified judicial system for purposes of administration.

There is hereby established in the judicial department a restricted receipt account referred to as “Third Party Grants.” The judicial department shall have the authority to receive and expend monies from gifts, devises, grants, bequests, or donations. The judicial department is a…

(a) In addition to any other filing fees or court costs required by law or court rule, parties to any court matter may be required to pay a technology surcharge or fee not to exceed twenty-five dollars ($25.00) at the inception or the conclusion of any case, or upon making any el…

(a) As used in this chapter, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings: (1) “Data aggregator” means a commercial entity that collects, assembles, or maintains personal information concerning an individual or an employee …

The chief justice of the supreme court shall be the executive head of the judicial system.

(a) The chief justice of the supreme court may, by order, take any action necessary to ensure the continued and efficient operation of the courts of the unified judicial system. Such necessary actions may include, but are not limited to: (1) Establishing alternative locations to …

In order to aid in the prompt disposition of judicial business, the chief justice shall have power to assign a judge of any trial court to sit in any other trial courts, subject to the approval of the presiding justice or the chief judge of both the sending and the receiving cour…

The Chief justice of the supreme court has the power to assign any magistrate of the superior court, family court, district court, or traffic tribunal to any court or tribunal of the unified judicial system with the consent of the presiding justice, chief judge, and/or chief magi…

(a) The chief justice shall appoint a court administrator and such assistants as he or she deems necessary to aid in the administration of the judicial system. The administrator and his or her assistants shall serve at the pleasure of the chief justice. (b) The court administrato…