PROVIDENCE (RI)
Providence Journal
November 20, 2018
By Patrick Anderson
But at hearing Tuesday, defense lawyer attacks commission, saying it oversteps its authority
Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice Francis X. Flaherty’s defense against an ethics complaint accuses the State Ethics Commission of overstepping its legal authority and its chairman of displaying an “obvious negative predisposition” toward the Catholic Church in his criticism of child sexual abuse scandals.
In a tense hearing Tuesday, the Ethics Commission refused to throw out a complaint that Flaherty should have disclosed his position as president of the St. Thomas More Society of Rhode Island when he ruled on an appeal of a priest sexual abuse lawsuit against the Roman Catholic bishop of Providence. The St. Thomas More Society of Rhode Island is a nonprofit organization promoting Catholic legal work.
Representing Flaherty, lawyer Marc DeSisto questioned whether the non-lawyer members of the commission could rule on his motions in the short time span since they were filed and asked them whether they had read the case law.
It got more contentious from there.
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