PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – A federal judge appointed a special master on Thursday to ensure that thousands of Rhode Island residents receive food stamps on time, as benefits for thousands of people have been delayed amid computer problems.
U.S. District Judge William Smith on Thursday appointed attorney Deming Sherman to make sure the state complies with the court-ordered terms of a settlement it agreed to earlier this year with the Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Smith says he alerted the state and ACLU last month that he was likely to appoint a special master after the state acknowledged “a systematic failure to comply” with the order.
The state has blamed the contractor responsible for the RI Bridges computer system for the delays.
