Federal Judge Bruce Selya, widely respected R.I. jurist known for his vocabulary, dies at 90

Boston Globe

23-02-2025

Advertisement
Reed described Judge Selya as 'a man of great wisdom, integrity, modesty, wit, and high ethical standards.'
Get Rhode Map
A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State.
Enter Email
Sign Up
RI has lost a legal legend, Judge Bruce Selya, 90, whose outstanding contributions to the community & people of RI go well beyond his four decades of remarkable service on the federal bench.
— Senator Jack Reed (@SenJackReed)
'As a judge, Bruce Selya was nationally renowned and respected and set a high bar that many others in his profession admire and aspire to reach,' Reed said. 'As a man, he will be remembered for his exemplary devotion to the law and uplifting others, particularly those in his beloved hometown of Providence.'
In her new memoir, US Supreme Court Justice
'A bespectacled man then in his mid-60s with graying swept-back hair, he had an old-world courtliness about him, and an erudite way of expressing himself that extended to his decisions,' she wrote.
Judge Selya — once dubbed the '
Jackson recalled that Judge Selya would insert 'arcane terms' into draft opinions, sending her and other clerks 'scurrying for Old English dictionaries.' She recalled learning words such as asseverate (to declare or affirm a thing), gallimaufry (a confusing hodgepodge of elements, legal or otherwise), and velivolant (being in full sail). She also recalled Selya pausing to consider whether to insert a comma in an opinion.
Advertisement
'He prided himself on opinions that would be flawless in their grammar, reasoning, distinctive use of language, and presentation,' Jackson wrote, calling Selya 'brilliant, meticulous, and scholarly.'
She said she emerged from the clerkship not only with an expanded vocabulary but with a higher 'level of fastidiousness in drafting opinions.'
Judge Selya, who
Professor Michael J. Yelnosky, former dean of the Roger Williams University School of Law, described Selya as 'a Rhode Island institution.'
'Just a giant,' Yelnosky said. 'I think it's fair to call him the greatest jurist in Rhode Island history. He had a real national reputation. This is not just a Rhode Island guy.'
He said Selya was well-respected by his colleagues on the First US Circuit Court of Appeals and had friends on the US Supreme Court.
'He was well-regarded both for the intellectual quality of his work and his rhetorical flourishes,' Yelnosky said. 'And just as gracious and generous as a human being could be.'
Born and raised in Providence, Judge Selya received an undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 1955 and a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1958. He served as law clerk to Judge Edward W. Day of the US District Court for the District of Rhode Island from 1958 to 1960. He worked in private practice in Providence from 1960 to 1982, and served as a judge on the Lincoln, R.I., Probate Court from 1965 to 1972.
Advertisement
In 1982, he was nominated to US District Court by President Ronald Reagan and he was elevated to the 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals in 1986. In 2000, US Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist appointed Selya to the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, a position Judge Selya held until 2004.
In 2005, US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts appointed Judge Selya to the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, and in 2008 he was appointed to the chief judgeship of the Court of Review.
Judge Selya contributed his time and talents to many community causes and public service endeavors. He taught law school students and received honorary degrees from Bryant University, Roger Williams University, and Brandeis University.
In 2017, the Roger Williams University School of Law dedicated the
In 2023, the City of Providence designated Fulton Street as Judge Selya Way.
Information on funeral and memorial services were not immediately available.
Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at