Rhode Island Affiliate, American Civil Liberties Union
2010 Legislative Preview
Join our host and some of our state legislators as they review how civil liberties fared in the 2009 session and take a look at some of the bills that are up in 2010.
A guide to making open records requests.
A guide for parents & students.
Latest News
Appeals Court Upholds Dismissal Of "Racial Profiling" Lawsuit Against State Police
February 8, 2010
The Rhode Island ACLU today expressed disappointment with a federal appeals court ruling upholding the dismissal of a lawsuit the ACLU filed in 2007 against the R.I. State Police, challenging the legality of the detention and transporting to immigration officials of fourteen people, all Guatemalans, who were stopped in a van on I-95 after the driver changed lanes without using a turn signal. The ACLU lawsuit, filed on behalf of eleven of the individuals, had argued that the detention violated the driver and passengers’ constitutional rights to be free from discrimination and from unreasonable searches and seizures. read more
Open Records Suit Filed Against Department Of Corrections Over Policies Governing Pregnant Prisoners
February 1, 2010
The Rhode Island ACLU and the R.I. Chapter of the National Organization for Women have today filed an open records lawsuit against the Department of Corrections (DOC), contesting the agency’s refusal to release its policies relating to the use of restraints on women prisoners when they are in labor, delivering a baby or in post-delivery recuperation. The lawsuit, filed in R.I. Superior Court by ACLU volunteer attorneys Neal McNamara and Jillian Folger-Hartwell, seeks a court order releasing the requested documents, imposition of a fine and an award of attorneys’ fees. read more
ACLU Files Brief In Support Of Central Falls Soccer Students Searched By Coventry Police
January 26, 2010
The Rhode Island ACLU today filed a “friend of the court” brief supporting the appeal by a group of Central Falls High School students who were subject to a controversial search by Coventry Police after a school soccer game in 2006. Last year, a federal judge dismissed the students’ lawsuit, ruling that the police could have reasonably believed that the search did not violate the students’ constitutional right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. read more
Providence, RI 02903