Judge John A. Dorsey: Biography & Judicial Service | KnowJudges

# John A. Dorsey
Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge · [U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Rhode Island](/kyj/court/ri/u-s-bankruptcy-court-for-the-district-of-rhode-island)
John A. Dorsey — U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Rhode Island
Last updated October 7, 2026

## John A. Dorsey at a glance
Current roleChief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge
Court[U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Rhode Island](/kyj/court/ri/u-s-bankruptcy-court-for-the-district-of-rhode-island)
JurisdictionRhode Island · Federal
Judicial serviceActive

## Service record and verification

### Judicial service and assignments
[U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Rhode Island](/kyj/court/ri/u-s-bankruptcy-court-for-the-district-of-rhode-island) · Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge · Active · [Assignment source ↗](https://www.rib.uscourts.gov/)

## Biography

### Professional career
Court-appointed receiver, special master and commissioner; coordinator of the Superior Court COVID-19 Business Recovery Program.

### Judicial service
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge; appointed 2025-09-09

### Education
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · B.S. in Management, 2007
Roger Williams University School of Law · J.D., 2010

### Additional background
John A. Dorsey became third US Bankruptcy Judge for District of Rhode Island September 9, 2025, succeeding Diane Finkle (retired 2024).
Court-appointed receiver and special master for RI Superior and municipal courts; distressed business recovery, healthcare, nursing homes, retail, restaurants, technology, property sales.
Superior Court Business Calendar Receivership Committee; COVID Business Recovery Program coordinator 2020; designed nuisance receivership program for blighted property.
Practice environmental remediation, land use, tax credits, title and construction/business litigation.
Super Lawyers real estate Rising Star 2015–2023, RI Monthly Bankruptcy Excellence 2024.
Thurgood Marshall Law Society; RW law alumni board, RI Black Business Association, Quonset Development board.
Westerly Hospital restructuring recognized M&A Advisor Turnaround Deal of Year.

## Sources

01
### Official biography and chambers contact
Identity source · HTML · www.rib.uscourts.gov · Source checked October 3, 2026
[View Official biography and chambers contact ↗](https://www.rib.uscourts.gov/judge-john-dorsey)
02
### Official judges serving the bankruptcy court
Identity source · HTML · www.rib.uscourts.gov · Source checked October 3, 2026
[View Official judges serving the bankruptcy court ↗](https://www.rib.uscourts.gov/us-bankruptcy-court-district-rhode-island)
03
### rib.uscourts.gov
Biography source · HTML · rib.uscourts.gov · Source checked October 5, 2026
[View rib.uscourts.gov ↗](https://rib.uscourts.gov/judge-john-dorsey)
04
### law.rwu.edu
Biography source · HTML · law.rwu.edu · Source checked October 5, 2026
[View law.rwu.edu ↗](https://law.rwu.edu/student-life/stories/alumnus-john-dorsey-l10-appointed-federal-bankruptcy-court)
05
### insolvencyondemand.com
Biography source · HTML · insolvencyondemand.com · Source checked October 5, 2026
[View insolvencyondemand.com ↗](https://insolvencyondemand.com/index.php/speakers/hon-john-andrew-dorsey)
06
### ncbj.org
Biography source · HTML · ncbj.org · Source checked October 5, 2026
[View ncbj.org ↗](https://ncbj.org/hon-john-a-dorsey/)

[Public Records & Data Use](/public-records-data-use) · [Corrections policy](/corrections)

Found an error?[Let us know](mailto:info@knowjudges.com?subject=Found%20an%20error%20on%20KnowJudges.com&body=We%20found%20an%20error%20on%20the%20page%20https%3A%2F%2Fknowjudges.com%2Fkyj%2Fjudge%2Fjohn-a-dorsey-ri-43459c47.%0A%0APlease%20correct%20this%20with%3A%0A%0A%5Bdescribe%20the%20correction%5D%0A%0AHere%20is%20the%20source%20supporting%20our%20claim%3A%0A%0A%5Battach%20a%20link%20or%20PDF%5D)