--- title: "Richard Licht | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-licht-associate-justice-rhode-island-superior-court-ri" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Richard Licht Rhode Island Superior Court · Associate Justice ## Profile - Court: Rhode Island Superior Court - State: Rhode Island - Role: Associate Justice - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-26 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - In 2017, he was assigned to the Business Calendar, a specialized business court track As of 2025, he also oversees the mass tort calendar for clergy abuse litigation in Rhode Island, a role created under an administrative order by retired Presiding Justice Alice Gibney. - Appointments: Named Superior Court judge in 2014 by Gov - Richard A. Licht is described as a Rhode Island Superior Court associate justice, appointed by Governor Lincoln Chafee May 22, 2014 - Richard A. Licht is an Associate Justice of the Rhode Island Superior Court, appointed by former Governor Lincoln Chafee in 2014, with a long background in politics, law, and public service - in the Rhode Island Senate (1973–1984), as lieutenant governor (1985–1989), on the Board of Governors for Higher Education (1991–1997, among them chairman), and as Administration Department director (2011–2014) - Rhode Island Chief Justice Thomas Roberts — law clerk (1973–1974) - Corporate and real-estate practice included Letts, Quinn & Licht, Licht & Semonoff and Tillinghast Licht, Rhode Island Airport Corporation general counsel, Providence Place developers and supermarket divestiture work ### Education - Taxation, Boston University — LL.M. (1975) - Harvard Law School — J.D. (1972) - Economics, Harvard College, cum laude — B.A. (1968) - AB — Harvard College — Harvard College, AB; bio-3a48d48346ba; user_supplied_research - JD — Harvard Law School — Harvard Law School, JD; bio-3a48d48346ba; user_supplied_research - LLM — Boston University Law School — Boston University Law School, LLM; bio-3a48d48346ba; user_supplied_research - Educational background includes Harvard College — B.A. ### Additional information - Reported court calendars include Providence trial, Kugel Mesh, opioid, municipal tax and Business Calendar (from 2017). - Ethics scrutiny: His 2014 appointment drew criticism for allegedly violating the state’s “revolving door” rule, as he moved from Chafee’s administration to the court without a year’s cooling-off period - Professional/public-service history also includes unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaigns in 1988 and 2000 and legislative work on parental leave, domestic violence, small business and open space. - Licht has presided over multiple specialized calendars, including the Trial Calendar in Providence County, the Kugel Mesh, Opioid, and Municipal Tax Calendars. - Current legal matters: He is hearing motions from former Speaker Joseph Shekarchi to block an ongoing Ethics Commission investigation into Shekarchi’s attempted Supreme Court appointment ## 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) - [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_A._Licht) - [www.riamco.org](https://www.riamco.org/render?eadid=US-RUn-msg163&view=biography) - [www.ri.gov](https://www.ri.gov/press/view/12624) - [ballotpedia.org](https://ballotpedia.org/Richard_A._Licht) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-licht-associate-justice-rhode-island-superior-court-ri", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-licht-associate-justice-rhode-island-superior-court-ri", "name": "Richard Licht | KnowJudges", "description": "Richard Licht, Rhode Island Superior Court. 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