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Robert G. Flanders Jr. (born July 9, 1949), also known as Bob Flanders, is an American attorney who is a
partner Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to: Books * ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997 * ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928 * ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart * ''Partner'' (m ...
at Whelan Corrente & Flanders. He is also the founder of Flanders and Medeiros. Previously, Flanders served as 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
Rhode Island Supreme Court The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the 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 the Judicial N ...
from 1996 to 2004.


Early life and education

Flanders was born in 1949 in North Massapequa,
Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18t ...
and grew up in a middle-class family. His father was a salesman while his mother worked in fast food restaurants. He received his early education from
Chaminade High School Chaminade High School is a Roman Catholic Marianist college preparatory high school for boys in Mineola, New York, United States. Chaminade’s main campus is also home to Saragossa Retreat Center, one of their three retreat houses. Athletic ...
in
Mineola, New York Mineola is a village in and the county seat of Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 18,799 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from an Algonquin Chief, Miniolagamika, which means "pleasant village". ...
. For his
college education Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...
, he went to Brown University and graduated
magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...
in 1971 with a major in English. During his college years at Brown, he was elected to
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...
and received a prize for an essay he wrote on the
classicism Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aestheti ...
of
Henry Fielding Henry Fielding (22 April 1707 – 8 October 1754) was an English novelist, irony writer, and dramatist known for earthy humour and satire. His comic novel ''Tom Jones'' is still widely appreciated. He and Samuel Richardson are seen as founders ...
in ''Tom Jones''. As a law student at Harvard, Flanders played minor league baseball for the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
and served as an editor of the
Harvard Law Record The ''Harvard Law Record'' is an independent student-edited newspaper based at Harvard Law School. Founded in 1946, it is the oldest law school newspaper in the United States. Characteristics The ''Record'', a print and online publication, includ ...
. He graduated from law school in 1974.


Career

Flanders started his legal career in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
by joining
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP (known as Paul, Weiss) is an American multinational law firm headquartered on Sixth Avenue in New York City. By profits per equity partner, it is the fifth most profitable law firm in the world. ...
as a litigation associate. In 1975, he returned to Rhode Island and joined Edwards & Angell, where he became a partner and chairman of litigation department. He also served as assistant executive counsel to the
Governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Democrat Dan McKee. In their capac ...
. In 1987, he founded a business and government litigation firm, Flanders and Medeiros. In 2004, after eight years of service as a justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, he resigned from the post and joined Hinckley, Allen & Snyder as a partner. As an academic, Flanders has taught
constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in fed ...
and
judicial process Legal process (sometimes simply process) is any formal notice or writ by a court obtaining jurisdiction over a person or property. Common forms of process include a summons, subpoena, mandate, and warrant. Process normally takes effect by ...
courses at the Roger Williams University Law School, as a distinguished visiting professor, and at Brown University, as an adjunct assistant professor of law and public policy. Flanders serves as a member of various boards of directors and commissions, including the Care New England Hospital System, Women & Infants Hospital (vice chair of the board), the Providence Performing Arts Center, the Veterans Memorial Auditorium, the Rhode Island Historical Society, Common Cause of Rhode Island, the Brown University Leadership Advisory Council, and the Greater Providence YMCA, where he served as chairman of the Board for a three-year term that ended on May 29, 2003.


Community outreach

Flanders was elected twice to the Town Council of Barrington and served for two terms. He has also served as a town solicitor for
Glocester, Rhode Island Glocester is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 9,974 as of the 2020 census. The villages of Chepachet and Harmony are in Glocester. Putnam Pike ( U.S. Route 44) runs west through the town center of G ...
and as a general counsel of the Rhode Island Solid Waste Management Corporation. In 1996, he was selected as one of five finalists by a judicial merit-selection commission. Later, Governor
Lincoln Almond Lincoln Carter Almond (born June 16, 1936) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 72nd Governor of Rhode Island from 1995 to 2003. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was the United States Attorney for the District ...
named him to a vacant seat on the five member
Rhode Island Supreme Court The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the 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 the Judicial N ...
. Before joining the Supreme Court, he was a special prosecutor for the Judicial Tenure and Discipline Commission. On March 29, 1996, Flanders was sworn in and became one of the five serving
justices of the Rhode Island Supreme Court A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...
. In 2007, after resigning from the Supreme Court and returning to private law practice, the Governor of Rhode Island appointed him to chair the State Board of Regents for Secondary and Elementary Education. In 2011, the State w appointed him as the Receiver for the financially troubled City of
Central Falls, Rhode Island Central Falls is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,583 at the 2020 census. With an area of only , it is the smallest and most densely populated city in the smallest state, and the 27th most densely ...
. After the City filed for bankruptcy, he led the municipal restructuring of the City’s finances. As a result, he provided the City with a 5-year consensual recovery plan that eliminated a $6 million annual operating deficit. In 2018, the Rhode Island Republican Party endorsed and nominated him as their candidate for election to the United States Senate. Although he eventually lost the election to the incumbent Democrat, Sheldon Whitehouse, he was the highest statewide vote getter of all the Republican candidates during that election cycle.


2018 U.S. Senate campaign

Flanders won the Republican party nomination, defeating the only other candidate on the ballot,
Rocky De La Fuente Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente Guerra (born October 10, 1954) is an American businessman and politician. A perennial candidate, De La Fuente was the Reform Party nominee in the 2016 and 2020 United States presidential elections. He also appeared ...
, a businessman who was seeking to get on the Senate ballot in several states in 2018. As the Republican Party nominee, he participated in the 2018 election for US Senator from Rhode Island. He lost the election to
Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...
incumbent,
Sheldon Whitehouse Sheldon Whitehouse (born October 20, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Rhode Island since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States Attorney from 1993 to 1998 ...
.


Personal life

Flanders grew up in a middle class household and is the oldest of seven children. He is a strong advocate of
separation of powers Separation of powers refers to the division of a state's government into branches, each with separate, independent powers and responsibilities, so that the powers of one branch are not in conflict with those of the other branches. The typica ...
. He and his wife Ann live in
East Greenwich, Rhode Island East Greenwich is a town and the county seat of Kent County, Rhode Island. The population was 14,312 at the 2020 census. East Greenwich is the wealthiest municipality within the state of Rhode Island. It is part of the Providence metropolitan st ...
. They have three children.


Bibliography

* Flanders, Jr., Robert G. (2005). ''Rhode Island Evidence Manual''. LexisNexis. * Flanders, Jr., Robert G.; Conley, Patrick (2007). ''The Rhode Island Constitution: A Reference Guide''. Praeger. * Flanders, Jr., Robert G.; Michaelis, Ron C.; Wulff, Paula H. (2008). ''A Litigator's Guide to DNA: From the Laboratory to the Courtroom''. Academic Press. * Flanders, Jr., Robert G. et al. (2017). ''A Practical Guide to Land Use Law in Rhode Island'' * Flanders, Jr., Robert G. et al. (2022). ''Rhode Island Civil and Appellate Procedure with Commentaries''. Thomson/Reuters.


References


External links


Flanders Senate campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flanders, Robert G. Living people 1949 births 20th-century American lawyers Candidates in the 2018 United States Senate elections Brown University alumni Chaminade High School alumni Harvard Law School alumni Justices of the Rhode Island Supreme Court People from East Greenwich, Rhode Island People from Nassau County, New York Rhode Island lawyers Rhode Island Republicans