RI Chief Justice Williams resigning

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - After nearly serving eight years as Rhode Island's Supreme Court Chief Justice, Frank J. Williams announced Thursday he is retiring at the end of the year.

Chief Justice Williams submitted his resignation letter to Governor Donald Carcieri Thursday afternoon. He was appointed as Chief Justice by then Gov. Lincoln Almond and was confirmed by the General Assembly in January 2001.

In comments from his retirement letter , Williams spoke of the "deep and abiding honor to serve the people of our beloved state. To them I owe everything, as they never failed to sustain me and our citizens fully understood what I was attempting to do-enhance access to justice and make our courts more user-friendly."

Chief Justice Williams cited ongoing family health issues as a contributing factor to the timing of his decision.

In a statement, Gov. Carcieri expressed his appreciation for Williams' service to the state.

"Chief Justice Frank Williams served the people of the State of Rhode Island with passion and commitment. I wish him very well in his future pursuits," Carcieri said.  "The legal community was enriched by his fair and practical approach to jurisprudence. His dedication for the judicial process was matched only by his thirst for scholarship, particularly his admiration for and knowledge of the great President Lincoln."

Maureen McKenna Goldberg, the Supreme Court's senior associate justice, will serve as interim Chief Justice after Dec. 30.