--- title: "Joseph Montalbano | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joseph-montalbano-presiding-justice-rhode-island-superior-court-ri" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Joseph Montalbano Rhode Island Superior Court · Presiding Justice ## Profile - Court: Rhode Island Superior Court - State: Rhode Island - Role: Presiding Justice - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-26 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Joseph A. Montalbano is the current Presiding Justice of the Rhode Island Superior Court, appointed in April 2026 after serving as an Associate Justice since 2013 - The first former state senator to become a Superior Court judge since 1994 - Joseph Anthony Montalbano became RI Superior Court Presiding Justice April 7, 2026, succeeding Alice Gibney - On April 7, 2026, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee sworn in Montalbano as Presiding Justice of the Rhode Island Superior Court, filling the vacancy left by the retirement of Justice Alice B. Gibney - Associate Justice: Appointed June 1, 2013 by Governor Lincoln Chafee to replace Justice Francis Darigan Jr., Montalbano has served on the Superior Court for over a decade - Lincoln Chafee nominated him Superior associate justice 2013, served from June2013 - District Court Magistrate/Clerk 2011 - Studies at St. John’s University School of Law in 1979 and previously maintained a legal practice while in the Senate Governor's Office, State of Rhode Island - CCRI constitutional/criminal law teacher - Earlier Judicial Posts: held the role of a District Court Magistrate and Chief Judge of the North Providence Municipal Court ### Education - University of Pennsylvania — University of Pennsylvania; bio-0364c0ee3287; user_supplied_research - Saint John's University School of Law — Saint John's University School of Law; bio-0364c0ee3287; user_supplied_research ### Additional information - Trial Judges Association president 2015–2025 - RIAJ Judicial Merit Award 2018; judicial/bar lecturer - Awards: Received the Judicial Merit Award from the Rhode Island Association for Justice in 2018 - Senate President 2003–2009, Majority Leader 2002–2003. - Before his judicial career, Montalbano was a Rhode Island State Senator (1989–2009) representing the 37th and later 17th districts, and held the role of Senate President from 2003 to 2009. - North Providence legal practice real estate/probate/zoning/tax sales; municipal chief judge 1979–2009. - Democratic RI Senator District37 1989–2002, District17 after downsizing through 2008 defeat - RI and American bar memberships. - He has also taught constitutional and criminal law at the Community College of Rhode Island - As Presiding Justice, he oversees the court’s staff and administration, assigns judges to cases and calendars, and provides leadership on statewide court operations - John’s law JD (year unstated), American Jurisprudence commercial transactions award. - Educational background includes University of Pennsylvania ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### cell phone use Scope: courtwide Rhode Island Supreme Court courthouse rules prohibit cellular telephone use in courtrooms and prohibit cell-phone camera and video use in the courthouse. Evidence excerpt: Cellular telephone use is strictly prohibited in the courtrooms. Cellular telephone camera and video is strictly prohibited in the courthouse. [Supreme Court Courthouse Rules](https://www.courts.ri.gov/Public-Resources/Documents/Your%20Day%20In%20Court/Courthouse%20Rules%20February%205,%202024.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### recording equipment Scope: courtwide Rhode Island courthouse rules list photographic and audio-visual equipment, including cameras and audio or video recorders, as prohibited items. Evidence excerpt: No photographic or audio-visual equipment of any type, including cameras, video, or audio recorders or players. [Supreme Court Courthouse Rules](https://www.courts.ri.gov/Public-Resources/Documents/Your%20Day%20In%20Court/Courthouse%20Rules%20February%205,%202024.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courts.ri.gov/Public-Resources/Documents/JudicialRoster.pdf) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.ri.gov/Public-Resources/Documents/JudicialRoster.pdf) - [Rhode Island Judiciary official judicial roster](https://www.courts.ri.gov/Public-Resources/Documents/JudicialRoster.pdf) - [Calendars and Public Access to Court Hearings](https://www.courts.ri.gov/Pages/PublicAccessCourtHearings.aspx) - [Supreme Court Courthouse Rules](https://www.courts.ri.gov/Public-Resources/Documents/Your%20Day%20In%20Court/Courthouse%20Rules%20February%205,%202024.pdf) - [Supreme Court Courthouse Rules, revised February 2024](https://www.courts.ri.gov/Public-Resources/Documents/Your%20Day%20In%20Court/Courthouse%20Rules%20February%205,%202024.pdf) - [governor.ri.gov](https://governor.ri.gov/press-releases/governor-mckee-swears-honorable-joseph-montalbano-presiding-justice-ri-superior) - [rhodeislandcurrent.com](https://rhodeislandcurrent.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Joseph-Montalbano-Curriculum-Vitae-10.9.2025_Redacted.pdf) - [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_A._Montalbano) - [governor.ri.gov](https://governor.ri.gov/press-releases/governor-mckee-nominates-justice-joseph-montalbano-presiding-justice-rhode-island) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joseph-montalbano-presiding-justice-rhode-island-superior-court-ri", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joseph-montalbano-presiding-justice-rhode-island-superior-court-ri", "name": "Joseph Montalbano | KnowJudges", "description": "Joseph Montalbano, Rhode Island Superior Court. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joseph-montalbano-presiding-justice-rhode-island-superior-court-ri#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joseph-montalbano-presiding-justice-rhode-island-superior-court-ri#judge", "name": "Joseph Montalbano", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joseph-montalbano-presiding-justice-rhode-island-superior-court-ri", "jobTitle": "Presiding Justice", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "Rhode Island Superior Court" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.courts.ri.gov/Public-Resources/Documents/JudicialRoster.pdf" ], "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of Pennsylvania" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Saint John's University School of Law" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Rhode Island", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/rhode-island" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Joseph Montalbano", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joseph-montalbano-presiding-justice-rhode-island-superior-court-ri" } ] } ] } ```