Court Cases

Common Cause, represented by the National ACLU and the ACLU of RI, intervened in a lawsuit to prevent the Department of Justice from obtaining sensitive, non-public information contained in the Rhode Island state voter file.

The R.I. Center for Justice and cooperating counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union of RI have filed a lawsuit on behalf of four low-income tenants in Pawtucket and West Warwick who have been threatened with eviction for associating with Reclaim RI, a non-profit agency that organizes tenants to vindicate their rights to safe and healthy housing conditions. In October 2025, the case was brought to RI Superior Court and an amended complaint was filed.

This is a class action lawsuit filed by the ACLU of MA and other partners in federal court to challenge the widespread denial of bond hearings to people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The result of this lawsuit may affect Rhode Islanders. The denial of bond hearings is a violation of statutory and constitutional rights, upending decades of settled law and established practice in immigration proceedings. For more information, please visit the ACLU of MA's website, or contact them at [email protected].

This case suit challenges new funding restrictions on federal housing grants. Under the new funding application rules, service providers and communities are blocked from applying for federal housing funds for new permanent supportive housing for individuals and families experiencing homelessness if they operate in jurisdictions with policies the Trump-Vance administration disfavors. This includes cities and states, like Rhode Island, that the Trump Administration deems to be “sanctuary protections” for immigrants; that provide services considered “harm reduction” services for drug users; and that have inclusive policies for transgender people.  

A nationwide group of 17 state domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions, led by the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV), filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the Trump administration from imposing unlawful restrictions on grants issued by the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) under the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

The brief was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in support of Jerry Cintron, whose lawsuit alleges that while suffering from substance use disorder, he was given no treatment despite his requests for it. Instead, he was kept in disciplinary segregation for over one year.

This lawsuit was filed on behalf of three Native Americans at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI), and argues that Rhode Island Department of Corrections has refused to accommodate an array of religious practices.