--- title: "Sarah Taft-Carter | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sarah-taft-carter-associate-justice-rhode-island-superior-court-ri" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Sarah Taft-Carter 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 - Appointed in October 2010 to fill the vacancy created by Alice Bridget Gibney’s promotion to Presiding Justice - Sarah Taft‐Carter is an Associate Justice of the Rhode Island Superior Court, appointed in 2010 by former Governor Donald L. Carcieri, with a background in law practice and public service - Described as a Rhode Island Superior Court associate justice appointed October 22, 2010 by Governor Donald Carcieri, succeeding Alice Bridget Gibney after her elevation to presiding justice. - Before joining the bench, she was a partner at Taft & McSally, LLP in Cranston, RI ### Education - University of Rhode Island B.A. (1978), Suffolk University J.D. (1981), Rhode Island bar admission (1982), federal District of Rhode Island and U.S. Supreme Court admissions. - Suffolk University — bio-5ac5976195d4; user_supplied_research — J.D. (1981) - Educational background includes University of Rhode Island (B.A.), 1978 - University of Rhode Island — bio-5ac5976195d4; user_supplied_research — B.A. (1978) ### Additional information - Before the bench she was a Taft & McSally partner in Cranston, practicing family, bankruptcy, corporate, real-estate, municipal, estate-planning and probate law. - Her late father, James L. Taft Jr., was former mayor of Cranston. - She has been recognized in local media as one of Rhode Island’s influential judges - Reported judicial assignments include Washington County civil calendar. - Listed affiliations: Rhode Island, American and Rhode Island Women’s bar associations. ## 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) - [prabook.com](https://prabook.com/web/sarah.taft-carter/2651693) - [opengov.sos.ri.gov](https://opengov.sos.ri.gov/GOVDirectoryPublic/ViewGOVDirectoryDetails?RelationID=2842&EntityID=3424&page=DetailJudge) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sarah-taft-carter-associate-justice-rhode-island-superior-court-ri", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sarah-taft-carter-associate-justice-rhode-island-superior-court-ri", "name": "Sarah Taft-Carter | KnowJudges", "description": "Sarah Taft-Carter, Rhode Island Superior Court. 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