District Court Chief Judge Albert E. DeRobbio, 79, called a workaholic by peers, died yesterday at his home. DeRobbio served for 32 years on the bench.

The Providence Journal / Andrew Dickerman

PROVIDENCE — District Court Chief Judge Albert E. DeRobbio Sr., a commanding presence on the bench who never gave thought to retiring his black robe, died yesterday morning at his home, in the Pawtuxet Village section of Cranston.

He was 79 years old and had worked a full day on Friday.

“Describing him as a workaholic was an understatement,” said Superior Court Presiding Justice Joseph F. Rodgers Jr. “I think Al used to get upset that there were only 24 hours in a day.”

Word of DeRobbio’s death quickly spread through the courts and judicial system yesterday morning and several longtime court workers said that DeRobbio had told them that he would never retire and that they would have to remove him from the bench in “a body bag.”

It also marked the second death in three days of a state court judge. On Friday, Family Court Judge Gilbert T. Rocha passed away.

Yesterday, Governor Carcieri ordered all state flags lowered to half-staff until DeRobbio and Rocha are laid to rest.

“The passing of Judge DeRobbio and Judge Rocha, both dedicated public servants, is a great loss for the judicial community and the people of Rhode Island,” said Carcieri. “Judge DeRobbio has left an indelible mark on our state’s court system.”

Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch called DeRobbio “a tremendous force and presence in our justice system,” while Col. Brendan P. Doherty, superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, characterized the chief judge as “a giant,” who was always willing to help law enforcement.

Doherty recalled that, when he was a young state police detective, DeRobbio was never bothered by a knock on his door at 1 a.m. to sign an arrest warrant for a drug sweep or mob raid.

Family Court Chief Judge Jeremiah S. Jeremiah Jr. described DeRobbio as a “workaholic” who “really straightened out” the traffic court. “He’s a real gentleman and a very knowledgeable guy,” he said. “He could quote the law any time you needed it.

“Al was a personal friend of mine who got me started in Republican politics” in Cranston in the early 1960s, Jeremiah said. “I will miss him.”

DeRobbio, with 32 years on the bench, was the longest-serving state court judge behind Rodgers, who has been a judge two years longer. Gov. Philip W. Noel appointed DeRobbio to the District Court bench in 1976, and two years later he was appointed to a seat on the Superior Court and remained there for nine years.

DeRobbio never shied from using his high-profile appointment as a bully pulpit.

In 1983, DeRobbio told an antinuclear activist that he had “spit” on the U.S. Constitution by choosing to serve time in jail instead of paying $5 in restitution for participating in a demonstration outside the Electric Boat plant at Quonset Point.

“I think you must know by now where my heart is,” declared the protester.

DeRobbio interjected, “I want to know where your brain is.”

In 1987, Gov. Edward D. DiPrete appointed DeRobbio chief judge of the District Court, replacing the late Henry E. Laliberte.

DeRobbio quickly made his mark as chief judge. In the early 1990s, he consolidated much of the District Court system, shutting down small courts in places such as Pawtucket, Cranston, Woonsocket and Warren. The move, at the time, was controversial as police departments complained that they had to transport prisoners to the Garrahy Judicial Complex, on Dorrance Street in Providence.

Others, such as Judge Rodgers, supported the move because it made more judges available in Providence to handle arraignments that might pop up late in the afternoon.

A few years later, in the late ’90s, DeRobbio took over the troubled Administrative Adjudication Court, otherwise known as the traffic court, on Harris Avenue. At the time, the court was under siege over uncollected fines, lengthy backlogs and allegations of ticket-fixing. The record keeping was so woeful that the court’s computers listed $39 million in “uncollected” fines, but auditors could not determine whether the $39 million represented unpaid tickets, or if some of the money was stolen or lost.

DeRobbio seemed to relish the challenge of improving the traffic court and its 80 employees, which nearly doubled the number of workers he supervised as chief judge. Over eight years, DeRobbio professionalized the traffic court and he was instrumental in converting the old Administrative Adjudication Court next to a strip club to a sparkling new Traffic Tribunal near the grounds of the Adult Correctional Institutions, in Cranston.

Last year, the General Assembly removed the Traffic Tribunal from DeRobbio’s jurisdiction and created the position of chief magistrate. Legislators denied they were exacting revenge for DeRobbio’s failure to pick magistrate candidates favored by Assembly leaders.

DeRobbio continued hearing a full caseload in his fourth-floor courtroom in District Court, despite suffering from diabetes and worsening eyesight. In recent years, he relied on a large magnifying glass to review cases from the bench.

District Court Judge Michael A. Higgins will serve as acting chief judge until a replacement is named for DeRobbio, who earned $181,121 a year. The deaths of DeRobbio and Rocha leave six vacancies in the state courts. Less than two weeks ago, Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank J. Williams abruptly announced that he was stepping down after eight years. And, earlier this month, Family Court Judge Howard I. Lipsey announced he was retiring.

There are two other vacancies: another on the District Court following Judge Walter Gorman’s announcement last March that he is retiring; and last spring’s announcement that Superior Court Judge Vincent A. Ragosta was stepping down.

Williams, the departing chief justice, said the deaths of Rocha and DeRobbio “hit our justice system hard.”

“Both men were great leaders and hard workers, and shared our vision for increasing access to justice and making our courts more user friendly,” he said. “While they will be missed, they would be the first to insist on the continuation of our justice system for the people.”

bmalinow@projo.com