News & Commentary

Today’s decision from the Court affirms the basic principle of our judicial system that the doors to justice shall remain open to all.

Attorneys for the R.I. Center for Justice and the ACLU have filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a man who spent almost eight months in solitary confinement at the ACI in retaliation for exercising his First Amendment rights.

The ACLU of RI today announced the favorable settlement of a federal lawsuit against the Providence Police Department on behalf of two plaintiffs who alleged their free speech rights were violated during a protest.

The RI Department of Labor and Training (DLT) has agreed to take numerous steps to prevent a repeat of last year’s debacle when thousands of residents had their unemployment insurance benefit payments unexpectedly frozen without any notice or explanation. The settlement comes today in a lawsuit filed by ACLU of RI during the early stages of the COVID pandemic, when many in Rhode Island were forced to rely on unemployment benefits to make ends meet.

After receiving numerous complaints, the ACLU of RI has called on RIDE to revise the PVD school district’s “Social Media for Employees” policy that the letter argues infringes on teachers' free speech rights.

Under the stipulation, the Mayor agreed to no longer block individuals from her page “based on First Amendment-protected viewpoints expressed.”

This is a major First Amendment lawsuit challenging Woonsocket Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt’s actions in banning some of her critics from her Facebook page.

The Johnston PD violated the First Amendment rights of retired Detective James Brady when he was disciplined for speaking to a Providence Journal reporter on a matter of public concern.

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.