Erin Patricia Lynch Prata (born May 17, 1975 in

Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, the third largest city in the state with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 census. It is located approximately south of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, southwest of Boston, Massachu ...

) is an American politician and an Associate Justice on the

Rhode Island Supreme Court The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the Supreme court, court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by ...

. She previously served in the

Rhode Island Senate The Rhode Island Senate is the upper house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the lower house being the Rhode Island House of Representatives. It is composed of 38 Senators, each of wh ...

representing District 31 since January 2009. Lynch Prata served as Chairwoman on the Senate Committee on Judiciary, as well as a member of the Senate Committee on Rules, Government Ethics & Oversight and the Senate Committee on Special Legislation & Veterans' Affairs. She focused on issues including public education, economic development, job growth, health care and environmental protection. She was confirmed to be an

Associate Justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some sta ...

of the

in December 2020.

Early life and education

She is the ninth of ten children of John and Pat Lynch, all of whom were born and raised in Warwick, Rhode Island.Attorney Erin Lynch Prata
/ref> She attended Cedar Hill School and Winman Junior High School before graduating from

Toll Gate High School Toll Gate High School is a public high school in Warwick, Rhode Island on Centerville Road. It serves education to grades 9-12 and has approximately 1100 students and 97 teachers. History The school opened in 1972 with Robert J. Shapiro as the fi ...

in 1993. She earned her

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

from Boston College in 1997 and her Juris Doctor from

Columbus School of Law The Columbus School of Law, also known as Catholic Law or CUA Law, is the law school of the Catholic University of America, a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. More than 400 Juris Doctor students attend Catholic La ...

in 2000.

Legal career

After graduating from law school, she was a law clerk for Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg of the

. She has practiced law with her own law firm in Warwick and is an attorney with Lynch, Bernard & Lynch (now Lynch, Lynch and Friel).Erin Lynch Prata's Biography - Vote Smart
/ref>

Political career

Rhode Island Senate, 31st district

Elections

*2016: Lynch Prata was unopposed in both the Democratic primary on September 13, 2016 and the general election on November 8, 2016. *2014: Lynch Prata was unopposed in the Democratic primary on September 9, 2014. She defeated independent candidate James Roche in the general election on November 4, 2014 with 6,149 votes (63.9%). *2012: Lynch Prata was unopposed for both the September 11, 2012 Democratic Primary, winning with 1,103 votes, and the November 6, 2012 General election, winning with 9,862 votes. *2010: Lynch Prata was unopposed for both the September 23, 2010 Democratic Primary, winning with 1,604 votes, and the November 2, 2010 General election, winning with 7,261 votes. *2008: When District 31 Democratic Senator John C. Revens, Jr. retired and left the seat open, Lynch Prata won the September 9, 2008 Democratic Primary by 10 votes with 859 votes (50.3%), and won the November 4, 2008 General election with 7,775 votes (60.1%) against

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

nominee Thomas Madden, who had run for the seat in 2006.

Rhode Island Supreme Court

On December 8, 2020, Governor

Gina Raimondo Gina Marie Raimondo (; born May 17, 1971) is an American politician, lawyer, and venture capitalist who has served as the 40th United States Secretary of Commerce since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the 75th g ...

nominated Lynch Prata to be an associate justice of the

. The Rhode Island Senate confirmed her nomination on December 18, 2020. She was sworn in on January 4, 2021.

Personal life

She is married to Joseph Prata of Warwick.

References

External links

Biography
at the

Rhode Island General Assembly The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Se ...

*
Erin Lynch
at Ballotpedia
Erin Lynch
at the National Institute on Money in State Politics
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch Prata, Erin 1975 births Living people Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences alumni Columbus School of Law alumni Justices of the Rhode Island Supreme Court Politicians from Warwick, Rhode Island Rhode Island lawyers Democratic Party Rhode Island state senators Women state legislators in Rhode Island 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women judges