News & Commentary

In a major victory for the First Amendment, U.S. District Court Chief Judge William Smith has signed an order declaring Cranston's anti-panhandling ordinance unconstitutional.

The favorable settlement, which permanently bars enforcement of the ordinance, was on behalf of town resident Michael DiPaola, who had erected a series of signs on his property that criticized the Town’s perceived selective enforcement of its zoning code.

RILS and the ACLU of RI have filed a brief in R.I. Superior Court seeking to overturn a decision issued last year by the Council of Elementary and Secondary Education that the groups claim violate the rights of English Language Learners.

“Plaintiffs’ inability to assert civil actions by virtue of this statute burdens their fundamental right of access to the courts because they are unable to challenge the conditions of their confinement, namely, the physical harm they allegedly suffered while confined.”

In their letter, the organizations argue that this would have a chilling effect on free speech and the right to petition the government, undermining an important public forum and a fundamental principle of democracy.

The judgment comes in a lawsuit filed in March 2020 on behalf of Sean Carroll, an environmentally conscious Tesla owner who was ordered by the DMV to turn in his license plate “FKGAS” or else have his car registration cancelled.

In an important free speech decision, a U.S. District Judge has ruled that Johnston Police violated the First Amendment rights of retired Detective James Brady.

We filed an open records lawsuit against the state Attorney General's office, challenging a $225 fee they charged a law school student to provide her copies of reports that state law requires they annually submit to the RI General Assembly.

An unfavorable ruling in the case could “give police free rein to enter the home without probable cause or a warrant, whenever they think it is ‘reasonable’ to do so.”