News & Commentary

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island (ACLU) and the Rhode Island Disability Law Center (RIDLC) have filed a federal civil rights complaint against the Supreme Court of Rhode Island and its Committee on Character and Fitness over inquiries on a questionnaire for admission to the Rhode Island Bar that the complaint alleges violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The complaint, filed with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, challenges the legality of three broadly worded questions that ask about applicants’ past history of drug or alcohol abuse, mental illness, or other disability, and require applicants to provide detailed information about any treatment they have had or are receiving.

By Megan Khatchadourian, Assistant to the Director

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island has urged the Providence City Council to reject an ordinance that would restrict certain residential housing from including more than three students. In a letter to the Council, ACLU of Rhode Island executive director Steven Brown stated: "The ordinance’s undue stigmatization of Providence’s students is contrary to the City’s reputation as a robust host to the local colleges and universities. The focus on this one criterion is unfair and extremely unlikely to help resolve any of the legitimate concerns prompting calls for action in the first place.” 

By Hillary Davis, Policy Associate

By Johanna Kaiser, Communications & Development Associate

By Johanna Kaiser, Communications & Development Associate

As the 2015 legislative session wound down, a number of pro-civil liberties bills were primed for passage and many anti-civil liberties bills were failing to move at all. In any legislative year, however, a great deal can happen in the closing days, and this session was no exception. A sudden collapse in negotiations between the House and Senate over a series of seemingly minor bills meant that a number of other bills slated for passage suddenly died in the last moments of the session when legislative leaders abruptly adjourned.