The Nation - News from Nov. 27, 1985

The Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled in Providence that its chief justice, politically scarred by his friendships with reputed mobsters, cannot be removed from the bench this year by majority vote of the state Legislature. The 3-1 opinion by the five-member court came one day after attorneys for Gov. Edward DiPrete and Atty. Gen. Arlene Violet argued in a special high court hearing that the seat of Chief Justice Joseph A. Bevilacqua can be vacated. The two-page order did not include an explanation for the justices’ decision. They said that would come later, but a quick response was issued because “time is of the essence in this situation.”