Court Cases
Featured Cases
Sep 14, 2025
National Alliance to End Homelessness v. Scott Turner, et al.
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.
All Cases
364 Court Cases
Oct 24, 2025
Wood v. Butler
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.
Oct 22, 2025
Parente v. Lefebvre
This "friend of the court" brief was submitted to challenge the RI Attorney General's position that state officials are immune from ever being sued in federal court under one of RI’s key anti-discrimination civil rights statutes.
Oct 08, 2025
United States v. Worster
This "friend of the court" brief was filed to support a challenge to a federal law that completely bars unlawful users of controlled substances – including medical marijuana, which, though legal in Rhode Island, remains illegal at the federal level – from possessing firearms.
Sep 23, 2025
Orellana v. Moniz, et al.
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].
Sep 22, 2025
Morelli v. RIPTA
This class action lawsuit was filed against the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) and UnitedHealthcare New England (UHC) over an August 2021 data breach at RIPTA that compromised the Social Security numbers and other personal and health care information of thousands of individuals, including many with no connection to RIPTA.
Aug 08, 2025
RI Coalition Against Domestic Violence v. Bondi
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).
Aug 05, 2025
Cintron v. Bibeault
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.
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