Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee has nominated Superior Court Associate Justice Luis M. Matos, a Portuguese-born jurist with extensive state and federal experience, to serve on the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
Governor McKee said his responsibility was to select someone with “unquestionable qualifications, an impeccable reputation and a strong record in strong and fair judging.”
Judge Matos, 62, was born in Batalha, mainland Portugal, and immigrated to Rhode Island with his family when he was five years old. Governor McKee announced the nomination Wednesday, August 12, selecting Judge Matos from five finalists recommended through the state’s judicial nominating process.
Raised in Providence’s historic Fox Point neighborhood, he arrived in the United States without speaking English and later graduated from Brown University and the University of Connecticut School of Law.
The nomination is particularly significant for Rhode Island’s Portuguese-American community, one of the state’s largest and most established immigrant communities, carrying symbolic importance in a state whose Portuguese heritage is deeply rooted in communities including Providence, East Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Bristol, and throughout the East Bay.
Governor McKee highlighted that immigrant journey while announcing his choice, describing Matos as a candidate who “represents the best of Rhode Island.” Judge Matos has served as an associate justice of the Rhode Island Superior Court since 2012, following his appointment by then-Gov. Lincoln Chafee.
“Judge Matos is a Rhode Island success story who has served both his country and home state with distinction, and I am honored to nominate him to the Rhode Island Supreme Court,” Governor McKee said in his official announcement.
“I am deeply honored and humbled at the opportunity to continue to serve the people and State of Rhode Island,” Judge Matos said following the nomination. “I am grateful to Governor McKee for his confidence, and I look forward to the work ahead.”
At the State House announcement, he also emphasized the obligations of judicial service, saying he was fully aware of the responsibility “to the law and to the people of Rhode Island” carried by those who take the judicial oath.
Before joining the bench, Judge Matos built a lengthy career as a federal prosecutor. He worked for the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington. He later served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Delaware, where his work included health-care fraud prosecutions and service as National Health Care Fraud Coordinator.
Returning to Rhode Island in 2001, he served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in positions that included chief of the Civil Division, chief of the Criminal Division, First Assistant U.S. Attorney and Acting U.S. Attorney. His cases included health-care fraud, white-collar crime and public corruption.
Since taking the Superior Court bench, Judge Matos has handled both civil and criminal matters and has also served on the Rhode Island judiciary’s Committee on Racial and Ethnic Fairness. His work included efforts addressing court costs imposed on indigent defendants.
If confirmed, Judge Matos would bring to Rhode Island’s highest court a personal story that began with immigration from Portugal and continued through Providence public life, an Ivy League education, federal public service and 14 years on the Superior Court bench.
Judge Matos’ nomination now goes to the Rhode Island House of Representatives and Senate for advice and consent. Legislative leaders have indicated that consideration of the nomination is expected after the November 3 election, saying they want to remove as much politics as possible from what has become a highly politicized Supreme Court selection process.
PAJ/Staff
Source: Office of Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee
