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Governor Dan McKee is closing in on one major judicial appointment and he soon could have another that would turn Rhode Island politics on its head.

Start with the presiding justice of the Rhode Island Superior Court, or the “PJ” as insiders call it.

In the coming days, McKee is expected to pick between Superior Court Judges David Cruise, Richard Licht, and Joseph Montalbano for the powerful post, which oversees more than 150 staff members in the judiciary and assigns judges to specialty calendars.

Cruise, Licht, and Montalbano are vying to succeed Alice Gibney, who retired last year. All of them have long histories in Rhode Island politics and good relationships with McKee, so it’s unclear who has an advantage. 

But the PJ might be JV when it comes to the next big decision McKee will make with the courts.

Supreme Court Associate Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg is scheduled to retire next Friday, and McKee has not yet opened the application process to fill the vacancy.

The house money right now is on House Speaker Joe Shekarchi, who has said he’ll consider applying for the job. 

Then again, it’s worth noting that in the last few years Shekarchi has twice mulled running for Congress and strongly considered running for governor, so there is no guarantee that he’ll submit an application (and he’d only apply if there was a strong signal from McKee that he’ll be appointed).

Shekarchi has already received ringing endorsements for the Supreme Court from both Attorney General Peter Neronha and Helena Foulkes, McKee’s Democratic primary challenger this year. 

Their praise works both ways: McKee has no interest in taking the advice of Neronha or Foulkes, but he also knows he won’t face heat from two of his loudest critics for making what will be seen as a controversial appointment for one of the most powerful political leaders in the state.

Of course, if Shekarchi is appointed to the Supreme Court before the end of the legislative session, that would open the door for current House Majority Leader Chris Blazejewski to become speaker in what appears to be a messy budget year.