Governor McKee Nominates Four Judicial Candidates to the Bench

PROVIDENCE, RI — Governor Dan McKee today announced four judicial nominations to fill vacancies in the Superior Court, Family Court, and District Court.

“Today, I am nominating four experienced judges to serve our state’s judicial system. Each brings qualifications and perspectives that will contribute to the effective administration of justice in Rhode Island,” said Governor Dan McKee. “I thank the Judicial Nominating Commission for their work, and I look forward to these nominees serving on the bench.”

Superior Court

Shannon G. Signore, Esq., is nominated to the Rhode Island Superior Court. She is a graduate of the Roger Williams School of Law and has more than 25 years of legal experience. She has worked in the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office since 2002 and currently serves as an Assistant Attorney General in the Special Victims Unit. Signore was a 2016 Beau Biden Foundation Fellow and was recognized with the Crime Victim Service Award in 2019. She will be filling the seat created by the retirement of Associate Justice Daniel A. Procaccini. 

District Court

Michael J. McCaffrey, Esq., is nominated to the Rhode Island District Court. He is a graduate of Providence College and earned his J.D. from Suffolk University. A practicing lawyer since 1989, McCaffrey is currently a partner at McCaffrey & McCaffrey, LLP in Warwick. He was previously a state senator for Rhode Island’s 16th District, where he chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee and then served as Senate Majority Leader. McCaffrey received the St. Thomas Moore Medal of Honor award in 2013 and the John. E. Fogarty Award from the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities in 2006. He will be filling the seat vacated by Judge Melissa R. DuBose following her appointment to the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island. 

Family Court

Magistrate Alberto Aponte Cardona, Sr., is nominated to the Rhode Island Family Court. Cardona is a 2004 graduate of the Roger Williams School of Law and became the first graduate to become a judge when he was named an Associate Justice in the Central Falls Municipal Court. He was the first Latino appointed to the Rhode Island Family Court bench in 2019 and previously served as commissioner of the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights. He is an Army Veteran and an active member of the Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center’s board of directors. He will be filling the seat vacated by Judge Patricia K. Asquith upon her retirement.

Magistrate Andrea Iannazzi is nominated to the Rhode Island Family Court. Iannazzi currently serves as a magistrate in the Rhode Island Family Court, presiding over domestic, child welfare, juvenile justice, and child support cases. She previously worked as a staff lawyer and mediator in the Rhode Island Family Court system and served on the Cranston School Committee for a decade. Iannazzi was Deputy Executive Counsel to former Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo before her appointment to magistrate. Iannazzi is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School. She is filling the vacancy resulting from Judge Debra E. DiSegna’s retirement.

These nominations have been submitted to the Rhode Island Senate for confirmation.