First Amendment

“It is incredibly important in today’s political environment that the First Amendment rights of the people to assemble, protest, and petition the government are preserved. By filing this action, our clients have decided to stand up on behalf of all Rhode Islanders to preserve those fundamental rights.”

This resource is intended to provide information and guidance to Rhode Island public school leaders on the meaning and practical implications of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Mahmoud v. Taylor decision.

This case was filed against Governor Daniel McKee on behalf of activists who were intentionally denied access to the State House for a rally and threatened with arrest prior to the annual gubernatorial State of the State address in January.

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).

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.