News & Commentary

The ACLU and a number of other national organizations concerned about access to public records today filed a “friend of the court” brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a Rhode Island resident’s court fight for open government.

The Rhode Island ACLU today announced the settlement of a lawsuit filed in 2010 against the Cranston School Department on behalf of a mother who had been barred from volunteering at her child’s elementary school because she had a past criminal history of drug addiction. The ban was imposed despite the fact that the mother’s drug problems predated her child’s birth and she had since been involved for years in promoting drug abuse prevention.

Today eight groups, including the Rhode Island ACLU, sent a letter to the Board of Elections calling on that body to issue rules for implementing the state's new Voter ID law. In less than two weeks the new law goes into effect and so far the organization responsible for monitoring its enforcement at the polls has not set any guidelines. Without rules from the Board of Elections, during Rhode Island's next election our polling places could be thrown into confusion.

A trial is scheduled to begin next week in the Rhode Island ACLU’s federal lawsuit challenging the City of Pawtucket’s long-standing practice of giving preferential treatment to parochial schools over public schools in granting permits for the use of city athletics fields. The trial will take place before U.S. District Chief Judge Mary Lisi at 10 AM on Monday.

A federal judge today approved a substantial financial settlement on behalf of the family of Hiu Lui (“Jason”) Ng, a 34-year-old Chinese detainee who died in 2008 while in the custody of immigration officials at the Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls.

The R.I. Supreme Court today dismissed as moot a lawsuit the ACLU filed in 2010, challenging various Truancy Court practices. In doing so, the Court acknowledged many of the constitutional claims the ACLU had raised, but ruled they were obviated when Family Court Chief Haiganush Bedrosian, after the suit was filed, issued an administrative order establishing various new rules for truancy court proceedings.

The RI ACLU expressed its support for a lawsuit filed by the SEIU today against a Department of Health regulation requiring thousands of health care workers, including volunteers and non-medical staff, to get a flu shot or else wear a mask if they have any contact with patients. In testimony previously submitted to the DOH, the ACLU pointed out that the requirement may actually do very little to promote patient health care, significantly undermines notions of informed consent, could erode the use of other and more effective infection control practices, and might even at some point adversely affect family caregivers. The RI ACLU also expressed its disappointment with the Department of Health's order this week requiring indefinite masking of all unvaccinated health care workers, regardless of evidence indicating the use of masks provides little protection for patients and may, in fact, exacerbate the spread of the virus.

R.I. Superior Court Judge Sarah Taft-Carter today upheld the constitutionality of a state law that makes it a felony for any person required to register as a sex offender to reside within 300 feet of any school. RI ACLU volunteer attorney Katherine Godin, who brought the lawsuit, said the ACLU would appeal the ruling. Across the country, experts involved in the treatment of sex offenders, as well as victims’ rights groups, have opposed sex offender residency laws as being ineffective, counter-productive, and potentially more, rather than less, harmful to public safety. If the ruling is formally implemented pending appeal, a number of ex-offenders in Rhode Island who have not been deemed a public safety risk may likely face potential homelessness.

Four community and civil rights organizations have asked Mayor Angel Taveras to veto an ordinance passed Tuesday by the Providence City Council, which would unduly expand the city’s nuisance properties ordinance.