News & Commentary

In the almost 15 years since 9/11, we as Americans are all too familiar with knee-jerk reactions that blossom into policies and laws that seek to “protect” us while trampling on our rights -- all in the name of security.  Case in point, the Patriot Act.  After all of these years, this Act has done more in the way of eroding our rights in the name of security than one can count – and once again, Congress is looking to make it even worse.

The ACLU of Rhode Island issued the following statement in regard to today’s vote by the Rhode Island Ethics Commission to place a moratorium on the filing of complaints:

The ACLU of Rhode Island today commended the General Assembly for passing, and Governor Gina Raimondo for signing, legislation establishing transparent standards for the use of Internet filters in Rhode Island’s schools.

The ACLU of Rhode Island today celebrated the signing by Governor Gina Raimondo of crucial privacy legislation requiring law enforcement to obtain a warrant before accessing cell phone location information, except in certain emergency circumstances.

The ACLU of Rhode Island has raised concerns about apparent plans by the RI DMV to routinely share driver license photos with the FBI.  In a letter to the DMV, the ACLU has called on the agency to release information about its negotiations with the FBI in order to allow public input before an agreement is entered into that could seriously invade residents’ privacy rights.

The ACLU of Rhode Island commended the General Assembly for passing, and Governor Raimondo for today signing, important legislation limiting the use of out-of-school suspensions in Rhode Island’s schools.

When the sun rose and the gavel came down at 6am on Saturday morning, June 18th, the ACLU of Rhode Island was still at the State House, monitoring important civil liberties legislation until the very last moments of the session. We will provide a more detailed review of the legislative session, along with a 2015-2016 voting scorecard, in our next newsletter (look for it in August), and you can check out an expanded list of some of the legislation we monitored last year here. For now, here are some of the highlights - and the lows - of the 2016 General Assembly session.

Steven Brown, executive director of the ACLU of Rhode Island, issued the following statement today following the Supreme Court's decision in Whole Women's Health v. Hellerstedt:

Steven Brown, executive director of the ACLU of Rhode Island, issued the following statement today in response to the controversy surrounding the Westerly Yacht Club barring women from being full members of the club: “The ACLU has read with interest the recent news stories about the Westerly Yacht Club’s policy barring women from being full members of the club. “The ACLU fully appreciates that private clubs have a general First Amendment right to associate without government interference – a right that we support. However, that right is not absolute. In this case, it is our understanding that the Club opens some of its facilities to non-members, serves as an important networking opportunity for business people in the community, and has benefitted from state and federal funds over the years. “It also seems clear that the ban on women members is not because the Club seeks to express some sort of political view about the role of women, but is instead simply an archaic vestige from another era when women were treated as second-class citizens in a wide variety of settings. Indeed, under this antiquated policy, even a woman’s auxiliary status is dependent on her husband not divorcing her or dying. “Times have changed, as have our laws. Based on these facts, we believe that the Club’s actions constitute a violation of both the state’s Civil Rights Act and Rhode Island laws banning sex discrimination in public accommodations. “This being 2016 and not 1916, we trust the Club will immediately change its policy and welcome women as full members. Otherwise, we look forward to hearing from any individuals who are adversely affected by the Club’s discriminatory policy so we can work with them to address this unacceptable state of affairs.”