2018 -- H 7999

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LC005349

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

EXPRESSING DEEPEST CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF THE HONORABLE

WILLIAM C. CLIFTON, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE RHODE ISLAND DISTRICT

COURT

     Introduced By: Representatives Mattiello, Shekarchi, Morgan, Williams, and Keable

     Date Introduced: March 27, 2018

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, It is with heartfelt sadness that this House has learned of the passing of the

esteemed Judge William C. Clifton of the Rhode Island District Court; and

     WHEREAS, William C. Clifton grew up in San Antonio, Texas, where he daily faced the

twin evils of poverty and racial segregation. As he once stated, "I got an opportunity to feel

firsthand what it was like to be a second-class citizen." Yet, thanks to his devoted parents, who

scrimped and saved to get him out of segregated schools and into Catholic schools, and his own

tireless work ethic, Judge Clifton persevered and accomplished much despite facing the hurdles

of inequality and injustice his entire life; and

     WHEREAS, Judge Clifton attained a law degree from the University of California at Los

Angeles, and embarked on what would become a distinguished and exemplary law and public

service career. He served with distinction as a Special Assistant Attorney General, as a Superior

Court Arbitrator, as a principal in the Clifton & Associates law firm, and as one of Cranston's

Assistant Attorney Solicitors; and

     WHEREAS, Judge Clifton's 2004 appointment to the bench in Rhode Island made him

the only minority Judge on the District Court and one of only four minority judges in the entire

state court system at that time. Two of the additional three judges included his wife, Federal

Appeals Court Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson, who was then a Rhode Island Superior Court

Judge, and his brother, retired Superior Court Judge Edward C. Clifton; and

     WHEREAS, Judge Clifton was a trailblazer who broke through many barriers during his

distinguished career and will be sorely missed by his family, his many friends and his colleagues.

District Court Chief Judge Jeanne E. LaFazia summed up the thoughts and feelings of all who

knew Judge Clifton when she said that, "He was kind, caring and thoughtful in all he did. He

leaves a void in the court and in our hearts"; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby expresses its deepest condolences on the passing of the Honorable

William C. Clifton, Associate Justice of the Rhode Island District Court; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Honorable O. Rogeriee Thompson, Justice

of the United States Court of Appeals, First Circuit.

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LC005349

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