Portsmouth will have its own Municipal Court this year and I had an opportunity to interview our new Municipal Court Judge, Richard D'Addario this Friday on Portsmouth this Week. Judge D'Addario discussed his own extensive legal background and the role Municipal Courts plays in the US Justice system, as well as how he sees this court will operate in Portsmouth. The Portsmouth Municipal court will have jurisdiction over local ordinances, such as Zoning, Wastewater and other Town ordinances. Local traffic violations may also be heard once the court gets established. Judge D'Addario expects that the court will start up within the next few weeks and be held in the Town Council Chambers at the Town Hall, probably at 8:30 AM on a Wednesday or Thursday. The main benefit of a Municipal Court is that it makes it faster, easier and less costly for residents to have their cases heard locally. Prior to establishing this court, Portsmouth residents had to have their cases heard in Newport, often after considerable delay. The judge thinks the Municipal Court should pay for itself or even generate revenue for the town through fines and court costs, with fairly little overhead expenses.
See the interview with our new judge at http://youtu.be/RMIt7-R0uEc
Portsmouth this Week is a weekly public service television program started by Town Administrator, John Klimm. It airs on Public television (Cox channel 18) on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 PM. It can also be seen by clicking on the video link above or from the link on the Portsmouth Town website www.portsmouthri.com
