Erin Patricia Lynch Prata (born May 17, 1975 in Warwick, Rhode Island) is an American politician and an Associate Justice on the Rhode Island Supreme Court. She previously served in the Rhode Island Senate 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 of the Rhode Island Supreme Court 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 in history from

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

in 1997 and her

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from Columbus School of Law in 2000.

Legal career

After graduating from law school, she was a law clerk for Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg of the Rhode Island Supreme Court. 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 nominee Thomas Madden, who had run for the seat in 2006.

Rhode Island Supreme Court

On December 8, 2020, Governor Gina Raimondo nominated Lynch Prata to be an associate justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court. 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 *
Erin Lynch
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

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