Deadlines After a Conviction
R.I. Sup. Ct. R. 4 — twenty days to appeal a conviction
20 days. In a criminal case the notice of appeal by a defendant is filed with the clerk of the Superior Court within twenty (20) days after the entry of the judgment or order appealed from. A judgment or order is entered when it is entered in the trial court's docket, and a notice filed after a decision or sentence is announced but before it is entered is treated as filed on the day it is entered.
Who handles this in Rhode Island: legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Rhode Island directory.
After a motion. If a timely motion in arrest of judgment, or for a new trial on any ground other than newly discovered evidence, has been made, an appeal from a judgment of conviction may be taken within twenty (20) days after the entry of an order denying the motion. A motion for a new trial on newly discovered evidence extends the time the same way if it is made before or within ten (10) days after entry of the judgment.
Excusable neglect. Upon a showing of excusable neglect, the Superior Court may, before or after the time has expired, extend the time for filing a notice of appeal for a period not to exceed thirty (30) days from the expiration of the time otherwise prescribed.
Post conviction relief, assigned counsel on appeal, a stay pending appeal, and federal habeas corpus run on rules of their own and are not on this page. Whether a deadline has passed in a particular case is a question for a licensed Rhode Island attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- R.I. Sup. Ct. R. 4 — Appeal, when taken (Article I, Appellate Procedure)
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Rhode Island attorney.