Former Chief Justice Frank J. Williams testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on behalf of Suttell.

The Providence Journal / Connie Grosch

PROVIDENCE

Newly confirmed as Supreme Court chief justice, Paul A. Suttell didn’t set out to be Rhode Island’s leading judge. In fact, he didn’t set out to be a high court justice or even a Family Court judge.

Suttell simply went for opportunities as they arose with an unflappable style that took him to the top.

“I’ve always been one to take a stab at it,” Suttell said. Last week, lawmakers confirmed him as the state’s 51st chief justice, making him the head of the state judiciary.

Now Suttell must put his even-tempered approach to work at the helm of a six-court judicial system with a $96-million proposed budget and about 700 employees –– a prospect made more daunting by the state’s pressing financial issues.

Suttell’s first order of business will be to sit down with the finance director and begin dissecting the budget, he said. The courts are due to receive $1.8 million less than needed in the new fiscal year beginning Wednesday, and with about 50 vacancies in the judiciary overall, finding more savings promises to pose a challenge, he said.

“We have to live within our means. This is not a time for expansion. It’s a time for maintaining,” he said.

That means he will not push for the construction of a Blackstone Valley courthouse or further growth, as his predecessor, Frank J. Williams, did. Instead, he will look for greater efficiencies, such as conducting more court proceedings via videoconference so prisoners do not have to be brought in from the Adult Correctional Institutions. He would also encourage Family Court judges to continue traveling to the Training School in Cranston to hear cases.

“I’m willing to entertain any reasonable suggestions,” Suttell said Friday as he juggled wrapping up decisions, switching offices and meeting with a reporter in the high court’s grand conference room in the Licht Judicial Complex on South Main Street. Less than 24 hours after winning confirmation, he appeared relaxed, easing back in his chair, but flashes of concern crossed his face as he contemplated the magnitude of his new job.

“A lot of people have put their faith in me to lead this court responsibly,” he said. “I don’t want to let anyone down.”

A former Republican state lawmaker, he emphasizes that the judiciary is an independent branch of government, but expresses an eagerness to “work cooperatively” with the governor and legislators.

“What we do we do very well,” he said. The challenge will be “maintaining a high level of service knowing there are going to be less people to do [the work].”

Suttell plans to meet with the presiding court justices in the coming months to hear their thoughts. There are six vacancies on the bench, and a seventh could soon come if Superior Court Judge Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson is named to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Suttell said it is likely those positions will be filled by the year’s end, but he worried about the subsequent difficulties of providing each with staff.

He views his primary role as that of a judge, not administrator, saying “I don’t intend to take time away from that.” He wants to rely on court administrators to tackle many of the administrative tasks.

Suttell intends to continue Williams’ efforts to bring the courts closer to the people by talking to school groups and having the Supreme Court ride the circuit to hear cases in different parts of the state. “I think it’s very essential that people have confidence in the court.”

Suttell doesn’t emulate any particular leader, but says he will try to draw on the strengths of many. “I think I’ll probably develop my own style.”

Asked what he would like his legacy to be, he replied to leave the judiciary in as good or better shape than it is in now. He adds: “We are in good shape.”

The son of a banker and a homemaker, Suttell spent his childhood in Greenville before the family moved to Barrington when he was a teenager. He graduated from Moses Brown School in Providence and went on to earn a bachelor of arts from Northwestern University in 1971. Five years later, he received a law degree from Suffolk University.

He met his wife, Mary, at a tennis party in Little Compton. From New Jersey originally, she had summered in the seaside community and was living and teaching special-needs students in Alaska at the time. The couple rendezvoused in St. Louis during their courtship and married in 1980.

Suttell, 60, says his interest in government and politics blossomed while he worked on the late Sen. John H. Chafee’s campaign. He served as legal counsel for House Minority Leader Fred Lippitt, who died in 2005, and represented Little Compton, Portsmouth and Tiverton from 1983 to 1990. When a Family Court judgeship opened up, he faced a choice: run for statewide office or pursue the bench.

“I wanted to make a career in public service,” he said. He opted to become a judge, he said, because he had two young children at the time. He was appointed to the Family Court in 1990.

“I really loved being a judge. You have an opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives,” he said. Thirteen years later he was elevated to the Supreme Court.

Today, Mary Suttell is chairwoman of the mathematics department at Providence Country Day School and the longest-serving female volunteer firefighter in Little Compton. They have two children, William, an incoming junior at Trinity College, who attended three confirmation hearings last week, and Grace, a lacrosse player who will be a senior at Country Day. She was away at camp last week.

The legal community greeted Suttell’s confirmation as a welcome next step for the court.

His swift confirmation signals “the high regard in which he is held, personally as well as professionally,” said Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch. “He is a genuinely good and learned man, and his welcoming demeanor on the bench reflects this.”

Roger Williams University School of Law Dean David Logan said he looked forward to growing his school’s relationship with the court. “I’m delighted,” he said, observing that “in a state with so many issues, this just flew through.” Both houses of the General Assembly unanimously approved Suttell’s nomination by Governor Carcieri. The governor will administer the oath of office to Suttell in a ceremony July 16.

To Victoria M. Almeida, president of the Rhode Island Bar Association, Suttell’s appointment signifies what could be a sea-change.

“We need to raise the bar in how we treat one another. I think we need to be good to one another. Judge Suttell understands that,” she said. “He goes above the usual civility and takes it into goodness.”

kmulvane@projo.com