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February 12, 2008

Chief justice: Courthouse a central place in R.I. history

Providence Journal/Bill Murphy
Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court John Roberts applauds the singing of "America The Beautiful" during his visit today to the federal court in Providence.

PROVIDENCE -- Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts Jr. this morning launched the centennial celebration of the federal courthouse in downtown Providence, marking the first time a sitting Supreme Court chief justice has been in Rhode Island on official business in more than two centuries.

Roberts noted the day also marked the 199th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s birth, and during his 16-minute speech in a packed courtroom, he traced Lincoln’s career as a lawyer ranging from a frontier courthouse in Boonville, Indiana, to the single case Lincoln argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Roberts began with some humor. After being introduced by Senior Circuit Judge Bruce M. Selya, a Rhode Islander noted for using long and little-known words in his decisions, Roberts said, “It is truly an historic anniversary, or as Judge Selya might put it, a primogenial antecedent for jollification.”

A group could be heard protesting on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, and Roberts said, “Some of you may be able to hear the protesters outside. This is a group of people who prefer the Classical Revival style to the Beaux Arts style [of the courthouse] that was actually adopted, and they are, of course, entitled to be heard.”

(The group of at least 70 was demanding that the United States close its detention center at Guantanamo. See a related post.)

Looking out over a crowd filled with dark pinstriped suits and more than one bow tie, Roberts said, “It is, of course, not unusual to see contractors and architects with many lawyers in a courtroom, but it’s usually not on such a happy occasion. And there is good reason today to celebrate historic courthouses such as this one.”

“Throughout our nation’s history, federal and state courthouses have been both literally and figuratively at the center of civic life,” Roberts said. “This courthouse, gracing Exchange Place, is no exception. As Chief (U.S. District) Judge (Mary M.) Lisi has explained, the courthouse not only sits prominently in the heart of Providence, but it occupies a central place in Rhode Island’s history.”

Robert’s day-long visit highlights a year-long centennial celebration for the five-story gray granite building, which was built between 1904 and 1908 as the Providence Post Office, Court House and Custom House.

In recent years, the building has hosted high-profile legal cases such as the 2002 corruption trial of then-Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. and the tax evasion trial of "Survivor" winner Richard Hatch two years ago. Both were convicted.

In 1991, former Pawtucket Mayor Brian J. Sarault admitted he was the ringleader of a criminal enterprise operating out of Pawtucket City Hall. And in the 1970s, the late Chief U.S. District Judge Raymond J. Pettine ordered and began overseeing a years-long overhaul of the state prison system.

Gallery: See a collection of photos of the federal courthouse.

-- Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick

Posted by Mike McKinney  at 1:17 PM | Permalink

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mrjn34 | February 12, 2008 6:42 PM link

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