News & Commentary

By Johanna Kaiser, Development & Communications Associate

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 Hillary Davis, Policy Associate

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island today raised deep concerns about a decision by T.F. Green Airport officials to participate in a Department of Homeland Security field test designed to expand a largely discredited “behavior detection” program that attempts to determine travelers’ motives of “mal-intent” by monitoring their mundane actions.

The ACLU of Rhode Island recognizes the Department of Health’s legitimate interest in promoting the HPV vaccine for both boys and girls. We also appreciate that there are some illnesses that warrant imposition of mandatory vaccinations in order to protect children attending school. However, excluding middle and high school students from school for being unvaccinated against HPV strikes us as an unfitting and disproportionate remedy.

By Hillary Davis, Policy Associate

ACLU of Rhode Island executive director Steven Brown issued the following statement today in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this morning in City of Los Angeles v. Patel, ruling unconstitutional a city ordinance that required hotel operators to turn over to police upon request registry information about their guests: “Earlier this year it was revealed that Motel 6 in Warwick had entered into an agreement with Warwick Police to routinely turn over its daily guest list of patrons. This policy was roundly condemned by the ACLU of Rhode Island and others as a significant intrusion on guests’ privacy. As a result of the outcry, the motel agreed to revise its policy. “At the same time, it remained unclear exactly how significant that change in policy was. There was some suggestion that the motel, without any formal legal process or cause to believe criminal activity was occurring, would permit Warwick police officers to view the guest list at the motel upon request, while no longer routinely sending it over to the police department. If so, this superficial change in policy has only perpetuated the serious intrusion of privacy that Motel 6 guests are being subjected to. “Today’s Supreme Court decision makes clear that establishments like Motel 6 have a constitutional right to keep their guest registries confidential in the absence of the use of a formal legal process by police or exigent circumstances. With this constitutional authority now available to establishments to protect the privacy of their guests, the ACLU hopes and expects that Motel 6 and other public accommodations across the state will halt any current practices to the contrary. As we have said before, hotels should be treating their patrons as guests, not as participants in a police line-up."

By Johanna Kaiser, Development & Communications Associate

ACLU of Rhode Island executive director Steven Brown issued the following statement in response to recent news reports addressing a “change” in Motel 6’s policy of handing over its guest list to Warwick police: