News & Commentary

In spite of a U.S. Supreme Court session which indicated that the erosion of fundamental civil liberties by that body is no longer a hypothetical fear, 2022 was also marked by a number of critical home state victories. Here is a small sampling of highlights from our work this year.

The ACLU of RI and the Center for Justice issued the following statement in response to this afternoon's ruling on Doe v. McKee, a lawsuit filed on behalf of two dozen homeless individuals to allow them to continue camping at the State House to protest the lack of adequate housing in Rhode Island.

Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island and the R.I. Center for Justice have today filed a complaint on behalf of two dozen homeless individuals to allow them to continue camping at the State House to protest the lack of adequate housing for individuals in Rhode Island.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island has called on Governor Daniel McKee to rescind a notice requiring all persons currently camping in front of the State House to vacate their property by 9 AM tomorrow or else face arrest. 

The ACLU of Rhode Island today announced the settlement of a lawsuit, filed in July, over a Pawtucket ordinance banning the posting of political signs on residential property more than 30 days before an election.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge John McConnell, Jr. approved a stipulated order today in Cohen v. Brown University, the landmark Title IX case, requiring Brown University to pay attorneys’ fees and the litigation expenses incurred by the class of women student-athletes.

Citing privacy issues and an interest in ensuring that school disciplinary issues are addressed internally and without the interference of law enforcement, nine organizations in Rhode Island sent a letter to all school district superintendents urging them not to equip SROs with body cameras.

In a victory for religious freedom, the Town of Coventry has granted a zoning permit to the Horn and Cauldron, Church of the Earth, a small Wiccan church represented by the ACLU and the ACLU of Rhode Island.

Cooperating attorneys for the ACLU have filed a class-action lawsuit against RIPTA and 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.