We’ve got space left in our upcoming debrief about the RI legislative session! Desserts, a summary of what rights have been protected and undermined this year, and some real talk about what work we have ahead of us. Registration required but event is free! Go to www.riaclu.org/event/ri-leg...

We’ve got space left in our upcoming debrief about the RI legislative session! Desserts, a summary of what rights have been protected and undermined this year, and some real talk about what work we have ahead of us. Registration required but event is free! Go to www.riaclu.org/event/ri-leg...

POLICE TRANSPARENCY: We submitted testimony to the RI Dept. of Public Safety as they’re considering changing when police officers can see their own body-worn camera footage after a “use of force” incident.

VICTORY: State Supreme Court rejects state's attempt to avoid liability under key civil rights law! Read more here: www.riaclu.org/news/state-s...

Our country has never lived up to truly being the land of the free. We've only made progress because of courageous ordinary people bending the moral arch of the universe toward justice for 250 years. Now, more than ever, we must ensure everyone gets the freedom we all have the right to enjoy.

Three municipal updates about Flock safety cameras in RI: 1) In mid-June, the Little Compton town council tabled a proposal to buy two cameras, and the police chief indicated he would stop requesting them.

Take one minute to register for our upcoming debrief on the RI Legislative Session on Wednesday, July 15 in Cumberland! We’ll explain what laws were passed or amended, and what work we have ahead of us to protect civil liberties in RI. Registration is required: www.riaclu.org/event/ri-leg...

BREAKING: The Supreme Court struck down President Trump’s executive order attempting to overturn birthright citizenship. This historic decision reaffirms that the Constitution — not the president — defines who gets to be a citizen.

VICTORY: Yesterday, a RI judge ruled to protect federal grant funding for housing! The decision rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to impose new ideological conditions on the grant money that would have pushed an estimated 170,000 people into homelessness.

Good news for government transparency! The RI Judicial Nominating Commission will only require people to sign up for public comment one day in advance, instead of two weeks. The Commission is the public body tasked with interviewing candidates for judges. We sent them a letter several months ago...

TODAY AT 7 PM ET: Join Common Cause RI and @riaclu.bsky.social for a webinar exploring the intersection of AI and democracy. Register here: act.commoncause.org/events/is-ai...

This year is the 50th Rhode Island Pride — and we’re still celebrating with and advocating alongside the LGTBQ+ community. Back in 1976, the ACLU of RI went to court on behalf of the very first RI Pride organizers after Providence city officials denied their request for a parade permit...

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court protected privacy rights by ruling that the government can’t charge someone with a felony for owning a firearm stored securely at home merely because the person uses marijuana.

On this day in history 160 years ago, Congress passed the 14th Amendment to enshrine the right to birthright citizenship in our Constitution. We went to the Supreme Court earlier this year to preserve this essential right for generations to come.

Reminder: you have rights when interacting with ICE or witnessing ICE actions in your community! Read and share our Know Your Rights materials linked in this thread, and call the deportation defense hotline at 401-675-1414 if you see ICE in Rhode Island.

The RI Legislative Session officially recessed at 11:59pm last night! Huge shout out to our two lobbyists, and our volunteers, who testified on over 360 bills this session. That’s hours of work each week on dozens of issues that could affect the civil liberties of every Rhode Islander.

The RI Senate has also passed the bill as of half an hour ago! On to the governor’s desk next.

BREAKING: The RI House just passed the “364 day” bill that would protect immigrants in RI from harsh immigration consequences for minor crimes, closing a loophole between state and federal law.  The Senate just needs to pass the House bill (H7198A) and then it needs be signed by Gov. McKee.

On Monday evening, the Tiverton Town Council considered the Town’s budget, which included $23k for four new Flock Safety brand cameras. The Council did not vote at the end of the meeting, and we expect they will do so in two weeks.

🚨RI House floor votes tomorrow, Wed., June 10 on these bills: ⚖️ H7198A, S2047A: protects immigrants — including green card holders — from facing deportation for minor misdemeanors, like first-time shoplifting offenses. 🩺 H7357: protects privacy and reproductive/gender-affirming healthcare data

For Immediate Release: A Statement from the Rhode Island Voting Rights Act Campaign

Pride began as, and remains, a protest for equal rights! Learn about the beginning of RI Pride 50 years ago, when we went to court on behalf of the organizers to ensure they could be included in the bicentennial celebrations and get a parade permit, after they were denied by city officials.

UPDATE: On Thursday, the Little Compton Town Council did not vote on whether to approve the police department's request to install a Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) camera to the Town.

Last year, the National Endowment for the Arts imposed new restrictions on its grant applicants, penalizing artists who don’t agree with the president's political agenda. We sued, and won. The federal government is appealing, but we aren't backing down.

Little Compton Town Council is considering the police department’s request to install an Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) camera in the town. We sent a letter yesterday outlining our concerns and urging them to REJECT the proposal. Read our full letter ⬇️

“I think the public ought to know if the police department is routinely arresting people and holding them, and letting them go without charges, but this opinion is that it’s perfectly all right to do that and keep it secret.” – ACLU of RI exec. director Steven Brown

SETTLED: We took Pawtucket to court 7 years ago, after a 13-yr-old African American honors student was unlawfully handcuffed + arrested by the School Resource Officer (SRO). Our client won $5,000 in damages, and we expect Pawtucket to revise how it tracks police interactions in the city’s schools.

⚓️ Rhode Island summer (and end of legislative session) here we come.

Care about keeping our government institutions transparent and accountable? Look no further, these are bills we’re (mostly) supporting at the RI State House today about public records and municipal transparency...

CASE UPDATE: Last night, the appeals court denied our emergency motion filed on behalf of the RI Child Advocate. What this means: The DOJ is still prevented from receiving any medical records, but the hospital is required to turn over anonymized and de-identified records to the Texas court.

BREAKING: In the latest update to protecting RI kids' privacy, we just filed an emergency motion to stop RI Hospital from turning over the medical records of minor patients receiving treatment for gender dysphoria to a judge in Texas. Filed w/ the Lawyers’ Committee for RI and @democracyforward.org

The ACLU of Rhode Island is hosting an interactive event this evening in support of the Rhode Island Voting Rights Act and other bills. Check out the details below ⬇️

We've got some seats left for tonight's postcard writing event! Join us at 6pm at William Hall Library in Cranston to write to your legislators in support of voting rights, immigrants' rights, and students' privacy. Snacks + air conditioning provided! Free event, registration is required... (1/2)

Read more about this important decision here: www.riaclu.org/news/judge-u...

BREAKING: Protecting the medical privacy of RI children, a federal judge in RI has just quashed the Dept. of Justice's subpoena for RI Hospital's records of minors who have received gender affirming care treatment since 2020.

We’re excited to announce... the bills we'll be writing about during our Postcards to Legislators event next Mon., May 18! 🗳️ The RI Voting Rights Act, to protect voters' rights 💻 A bill to protect students’ privacy 🗽 A bill to close a loophole between state + federal immigration law Register ⬇️

NEW: In a hearing that went into Tuesday evening, a RI judge slammed the DOJ for making "misrepresentations" to a Texas judge who ordered Rhode Island Hospital to turn over medical records of transgender youth Clock is ticking on Thursday deadline The latest: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/12/m...

We were just in court alongside the Lawyers’ Committee for RI to prevent the Dept. of Justice from subpoenaing extensive private medical records of minors who have received gender affirming care treatment at RI Hospital.

We SUPPORT the reinstatement of the Comprehensive Community-Police Relations Act (CCPRA, S2303). This would require… -Every RI law enforcement agency to report traffic stop & search data by race -The data to be analyzed & publicly available -A community advisory board to oversee the process

We're calling on legislators in both chambers of the Rhode Island General Assembly to bring the RI Voting Rights Act to the floor with all ten amendments supported by our broad coalition! Contact your state lawmakers and ask them to advance the RI VRA (H-8334/S-3143) without delay.

UPDATE: A R.I. federal judge DENIED the government’s attempt to have our motion to quash their subpoena of RI Hospital’s patient records transferred to a Texas court. The case will continue with an in-person hearing next Tuesday, May 12.

We have about 30 spots left for our event on Monday, May 18! Join us to write postcards to RI legislators. This is a free event, but registration is required: www.riaclu.org/event/writin...

Good news! Yesterday, the RI Senate Judiciary Committee voted to pass S2047, the “364 day misdemeanor” bill. The bill will now advance to the Senate. Contact your state senator and rep. in SUPPORT of S2047 and H7198 (which is still in committee) to help us get this important bill passed this year!

RHODE ISLAND: Immigration bills are being heard on Tuesday, May 5, in the Senate Judiciary Committee. This is a great chance to take tangible action! Scroll through this thread and call or email your state senator in SUPPORT of these important bills.

BREAKING: We just filed a motion in court w/ Lawyers' Committee for RI to stop the federal gov's attempt to get the private medical records of minor patients who've received treatment for gender dysphoria at RI Hospital. We won’t stand for this unprecedented intrusion on the privacy of RI children.

Join us on Monday, May 18 for a postcard writing event in Cranston! We’ll give you tips about writing to your legislators, and provide all the materials needed to write postcards about two of our priority bills. Registration required: https://www.riaclu.org/event/writing-postcards-to-legislators/

PUBLIC RECORDS: The RI court system is transitioning to a new electronic case system. At a public hearing this morning, ACLU cooperating attorney Lynette Labinger raised concerns that some of the proposed rules to govern the new system could actually undermine public access. Our concerns include:

The RI Legislative Session is on April break. This is a great time to review where bills are in the process of becoming law and send your legislators a message about what YOU want to see pass this year. Check out our legislative dashboard: www.riaclu.org/legislative-...

It’s 4/20, you know what that means: It’s time to read our Know Your Rights FAQ about marijuana use in RI! https://www.riaclu.org/know-your-rights/know-your-rights-recreational-marijuana-ri/

In case you missed it: We published an op-ed in the Rhode Island Current about automated license plate reader cameras! Unregulated police surveillance is not, and never will be, a pathway to community safety.