Cranston’s 1st Municipal Court Judge of color, Angelyne E. Cooper

Cranston City Council votes in new judges, including first Black Municipal Court Judge Angelyne E. Cooper

Immediately following the inauguration of Kenneth Hopkins as Mayor, the new Cranston City Council called to order and conducted new business, under the leadership of its new President, Chris Paplauskas.

A lengthy portion of the event, which was conducted on webinar and ZOOM, was the nomination and voting on judicial candidates nominated by the council members, including a Chief Judge, Probate Judges and Municipal Court Judges.

Following the meeting, Cranston’s Ward 1 City Councilwoman Lammis Vargas issued a press release noting her successful nomination of Angelyne E. Cooper for a Cranston associate municipal court judgeship.

Vargas’ release says, “…she and her fellow council colleagues voted unanimously for the appointment of Cooper. Upon being sworn in by City Council President Chris Paplauskas, Cooper became the first Black municipal court judge in the history of the City of Cranston. Judge Cooper is a Ward 4 Cranston resident and a private practice attorney who will bring a depth and breadth of experience to the City’s Municipal Court.

“This is an incredible moment for my family and me, and for the City of Cranston,” said Municipal Court Judge Angie Cooper. “I want to thank Councilwoman Vargas for nominating me, as well as the entire council for voting to appoint me, Cranston’s first Municipal Court judge of color. I am truly honored. I look forward to serving the people of Cranston and I am committed to ensuring that the Municipal Court is a place where all who come before it, feel respected and heard. I also want to recognize and express my sincere gratitude to all those who have supported me unconditionally throughout my career. I appreciate you more than you know and am encouraged and motivated every day by your faith in me – thank you for always believing in me.”

(Cooper is Senior Counsel with Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara with Rhode Island offices in Johnston.)

“With last evening’s demonstration of bipartisanship, our City advanced by leaps and bounds toward its commitment to equity and inclusion,” said Councilwoman Vargas. “Not only have we appointed judges who represent the vibrant diversity of our City, we’ve also made history with the appointments of three women including Judge Cooper, who will now serve in our municipal judiciary branch. I, with the support of my fellow council members have prioritized diversifying all aspects of our great city’s government to fully serve its people. I am proud to see what we can achieve when we recognize and fully support the opportunities for bipartisanship.  To this end, thank you to Council President Christopher Paplauskas, Council Vice-President Edward Brady, Minority Leader John Donegan, Councilmember Jessica Marino, Councilmember Nicole Renzulli, Councilmember Robert Ferri, Councilmember Aniece Germain, and Councilmember Matthew Reilly.

Congratulations to all who were appointed last evening; I look forward to working with each of you.”

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The total roster of confirmed municipal appointments:

Chief Judge: Matt Smith

Sr. Associate Chief: Michael Forte

Associate Judges: 

Joanna Achilles

Angelyne E. Cooper

Maureen DiCristofaro 

Nicholas Solitro

Probate Court Judge: George Cappello

Auxiliary Judge: Robert Ragosta 

Registrar: Nicolas Lima

Council’s Internal Auditor: David DiMaio

City Council Legal Counsel: Stephen Angell 

Harbor Master: Ted Westcott