News & Commentary

Citing a “persistently disproportionate use of disciplinary action and suspensions against students of color,” the ACLU of Rhode Island has called upon Providence school officials to take immediate action to address this problem before the school session starts next month – a problem that former school superintendent Christopher Maher attributed to “racism” before he stepped down from his post earlier this year.

In an important decision enforcing a law aimed at reducing harm caused by out-of-school suspensions, an appeals committee of the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education (CESE) has upheld an R.I. Department of Education (RIDE) hearing officer’s decision that the Barrington School District improperly issued an out-of-school suspension to a middle school student. The ACLU of  RI represented the student in the appeal after the district contested the RIDE hearing officer’s decision that there was no evidence that the student’s conversation with others – prompted by a recent school shooting – was “disruptive,” a requirement for out-of-school suspension.

The ACLU of Rhode Island today has added new constitutional claims to a lawsuit it filed in May against the State, challenging the state Division of Taxation’s position that a special sales tax exemption for Rhode Island authors applies only to works of fiction, and not to non-fiction, because non-fiction is not “creative and original.” The lawsuit, filed by ACLU of RI cooperating attorney Lynette Labinger, continues to argue that making such a distinction on the content of the work violates the First Amendment’s guarantees of freedom of speech and freedom of the press, but adds new claims in light of troubling developments since the suit’s original filing.

The ACLU of Rhode Island today commended six current and former elected state officials who have signed onto court briefs this month to urge the U.S. Supreme Court not to roll back civil rights protections for LGBTQ people when it hears a trio of discrimination cases this fall. All of the cases  involve people who were fired for being LGBTQ.

Calling it “one of the most damaging decisions affecting the public’s right to know that has been issued, and a significant obstacle to holding police departments accountable,” the ACLU of Rhode Island has launched a two-pronged attack on a 2017 Attorney General ruling that allows police to keep secret some of its reports of police misconduct. In simultaneous appeals to the Rhode Island Supreme Court and the Attorney General, ACLU of RI cooperating attorney James Cullen is asking for a reversal of that ruling.

As we’ve noted, the ACLU of Rhode Island lobbied on 339 bills and tracked over 800 pieces of legislation over the course of the 2019 legislative session. Of these bills, over 100 passed out of committee and were voted on in either the House, Senate, or both.

A federal jury today awarded $20,000 in damages to North Smithfield resident Jason Richer as compensation for the violation of his due process rights when the North Smithfield Police Department refused, for six years, to return lawfully possessed weapons they had seized from him, and instead demanded that he obtain a state court order to get his guns back.

As we noted last week, the ACLU of Rhode Island lobbied on 339 bills and tracked over 800 pieces of legislation over the course of the 2019 legislative session. Of these bills, over 100 passed out of committee and were voted on in either the House, Senate, or both.

After six months of committee hearings, lobbying, and testifying, the 2019 legislative session concluded last Friday, June 28th. During this time period, our two lobbyists testified or lobbied on 339 bills and tracked more than 800 pieces of legislation. Of the bills we worked on, over 100 passed out of committee in some form.