David H. Gibbs will become the Director of Business Law Programs and the Corporate Counsel Externship at RWU Law later this month. David has both extensive practice experience and experience teaching at two law schools. Gibbs is a graduate of Tufts University and UC Berkeley Law. From 1978 until 2003 he was an associate and then a partner at Nixon Peabody in Boston, and from 2004 to 2013 he was…
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As part of Roger Williams University School of Law’s Alternative Spring Break program, 61 law students are providing free legal services to impoverished communities in 17 locations ranging from the Bronx to Haiti. On the program’s first international trip, three RWU law students will offer know-your-rights presentations at the YWCA in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, talking to young women about domestic…, Suzanne Harrington-Steppen, , associate director of pro bono programs at RWU Law. “Also, we want our students out there, working with public interest lawyers so they can understand what public interest law is all about and so they can see the legal needs of low-income communities firsthand. That way, they’re not talking theoretically about access to justice – they’re looking it right in the eye.” The Alternative Spring…
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A groundbreaking exhibit titled “Do Lord Remember Me: The Black Church in Rhode Island” will open at Roger Williams University on Tuesday, Feb. 28, and will feature a powerful performance by actor Joe Wilson Jr., plus a panel discussion., From Feb. 28 through March 6, RWU and RWU Law will host the traveling exhibit in the second-floor atrium of the School of Law building, on the university’s Bristol campus. The exhibit will be on display Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free and open to the public, the exhibit documents 250 years of service and survival, telling the story in images and text of American firsts: the first black philanthropic organization (the Free African Union Society, founded in Newport); the first black Episcopal delegation to a…, Ray Rickman, executive director of Stages of Freedom, , the nonprofit that mounted the exhibition traveling around the state. “Roger Williams University is the first institution to book the exhibit following its 2016 inaugural tour of the state, which attracted well over 1,000 viewers. We hope a large number of people will attend this exciting event.”, RWU President Donald J. Farish, said, “Our university’s namesake, Roger Williams, is noteworthy not only because he championed religious tolerance but also because he opposed slavery in an era when slavery was commonplace. Hosting events during Black History Month that bring attention to the history of the black church in Rhode Island is, therefore, very much in keeping with the values that guide our institution. In addition…, The Feb. 28 event will take place in the RWU School of Law Appellate Courtroom 283, on the university’s Bristol campus, at One Old Ferry Road. The exhibit will open at 4 p.m., and the program will begin at 6 p.m. with Wilson’s performance, followed by a panel discussion and question-and-answer session about the exhibit, “The Black Church in Rhode Island.” , The panel will include Rickman, RWU History Professor Charlotte Carrington-Farmer and the Rev. Sammy C. Vaughan, senior pastor at St. James Baptist Church, in Woonsocket. It is free and open to the public; no tickets are required., For more information, call (401) 254-3166. The exhibit is funded by , The Rhode Council for the Humanities, and , The Rhode Island Council on the Arts, , sponsored by , Opera Providence, , and mounted by , Stages of Freedom, , a nonprofit founded by Rickman and program coordinator Robb Dimmick.
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RWU Law Professor Peter Margulies writes: In the wake of Edward Snowden’s disclosures, the United States administration faced a daunting series of challenges on surveillance, cybersecurity, and privacy. Congress was reluctant to enact comprehensive legislation. Moreover, Snowden’s revelations had triggered an international trust deficit. To deal with these challenges, the executive branch under…
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Jared A. Goldstein , RWU professor of law, who teaches constitutional law and a former U.S. Department of Justice attorney, has contributed the following essay to the RWU First Amendment Blog ., President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Friday, Jan. 27, that violates the bedrock principles upon which Roger Williams founded Rhode Island . I’ve always been proud to work at a university named for Roger Williams, whose commitment to religious liberty for all peoples formed the basis for our nation’s commitment to separation of church and state and its dedication to the principle…, Korematsu v. United States, , in which the Supreme Court upheld the policy by which the government ordered over 100,000 persons of Japanese ancestry, most of them American citizens, to be held in internment camps. The internment policy was created out of a very similar fear as Trump’s Muslim ban, the fear that a particular population — Japanese-Americans then, Muslims now — included a small but unknowable number of people…
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From the , National Law Journal, : " Syrian Refugees to Receive Law School Scholarships " by Karen Sloan., Roger Williams University School of Law , will provide two Syrian refugees with full scholarships as part of a large consortium of schools vowing to help those from the war-torn country., The Bristol, Rhode Island, law school is the first , among the Institute of International Education’s 60-campus Syria Consortium to offer a free Juris Doctor degree to Syrian refugees. Roger Williams will also host two graduate architecture students. The scholarship announcement came one day before President Donald Trump was expected to sign an executive order temporarily blocking Syrians from entering the country over terrorism concerns. It was…, said Roger Williams law Dean Michael Yelnosky, . “Even in a scenario where the United States prohibits Syrians from entering the country, there are displaced Syrians and refugees already here who would be eligible to participate in the program,” he said. A number of law schools have programs or initiatives for Afghan attorneys and students aimed at promoting the rule of law there, but there has thus far been less of a focus on Syria, which…, institute president Allan Goodman, . “An investment in education is a long-term investment in peace,” he said. “Syria needs students to continue their university education so that, even in the midst of crisis, the country is producing the leadership and knowledge necessary for a successful future.”, Kate Greene, the director of international program development at Roger Williams, , said the university selected the law and architecture schools to receive the Syrian students because rebuilding Syria’s infrastructure and rule of law will be vital to the country’s recovery. The institute’s Syria Consortium has thus helped 500 Syrian students continue their educations. The hope is that studying law at Roger Williams will be enriching for the Syrian law students and eye-opening…, For full story, visit the , National Law Journal, .
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David E. Coombs, , the Chief Justice Weisberger Visiting Professor of Law at the Roger Williams University School of Law who has represented Chelsea Manning, issued the following statement regarding President Obama’s decision on Tuesday to commute the bulk of Manning’s sentence: “I am very thankful that the president decided to grant Chelsea’s commutation. I was shocked and overjoyed when I found out,” Coombs…, United States v. PFC Bradley E. Manning, . And he has been representing Manning, who is now known as Chelsea Manning, in her fight for appropriate medical care for her gender dysphoria and in her request for a commutation.
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Michael J. Yelnosky , Dean of the RWU School of Law and professor of law, who has studied and written extensively about labor law issues, contributed this piece to RWU's First Amendment Blog :, In all likelihood, sometime in 2017 a new U.S. Supreme Court justice will take the bench and fill the vacancy created by the death last year of Justice Antonin Scalia. Sometime thereafter, I am confident, the court will reverse almost 40 years of precedent and rule that the First Amendment prohibits provisions in public sector collective bargaining agreements requiring all covered employees to…, Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, ), the court applied the same approach to “fair share” provisions in the public sector, rejecting arguments that all forced payments should be prohibited because in the public sector the act of bargaining with a state or municipality over terms and conditions of employment is necessarily political. The law remained stable for almost 40 years. But in 2014, in a case the court decided on other…, Harris v. Quinn, ), the court’s opinion made it clear that five justices (Roberts, Thomas, Kennedy, Alito and Scalia) were eager to overrule , Abood, . Indeed, the court accepted , certiorari, in a case that presented the issue the following term. That case, , Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, , was argued in January 2016. During that argument, Justice Scalia repeatedly insisted that the First Amendment rights of public employees were more robust than in the private sector because in the public sector “what is bargained for is, in all cases, a matter of public interest. And that changes the . . . situation in a way that that may require a change of the rule.” Justice Scalia died…, Friedrichs --, a 4-4 decision that left the lower court’s ruling following , Abood, in place. Given President-elect Trump’s statements about whom he would likely nominate for the court, that justice would provide the fifth vote to overrule , Abood, . So what? After all, , Abood, is not , Roe v. Wade , or , Obergefell v. Hodges., First, the court’s willingness to overrule , Abood , might give us some clues about its willingness to overrule other decisions. Overruling , Abood, would hardly be a non-event. There are tens of thousands of collective bargaining agreements with fair share provisions affecting millions of employees in the public sector. Second, free riding by public sector employees could deal a serious blow to the financial health and power of public sector unions. Those who believe that a healthy labor movement is necessary to counter the strong economic…
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Issuing driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants in Rhode Island would lead to safer roads and potentially better economic opportunities, according to a legal and policy analysis that the , Roger Williams University School of Law , and the , Latino Policy Institute at RWU, released on Thursday. The analysis found that Rhode Island has the largest percentage of uninsured motorists in New England, and the state contains an estimated 30,000 undocumented immigrants. In all, 14 jurisdictions – including 12 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. – provide standard or alternate driver’s licenses to their undocumented populations. The study found that states providing…, Rhode Island Governor Gina M. Raimondo, . "I remain committed to addressing this important public safety issue and hope to work with the General Assembly to provide a path for undocumented Rhode Islanders to obtain drivers’ licenses.” “I am proud to see LPI continue meaningful and thought-provoking research on Latinos in Rhode Island," according to , Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza, a former RWU School of Law professor who co-founded the Latino Policy Institute, . "I am especially appreciative of their research on the benefits of issuing driver's licenses to all of our residents, regardless of immigration status. I support driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants because it is a matter of equity, and it is also a matter of safety. By properly educating and insuring all of our drivers, we create safer roads for everyone.” “As a University with the…, RWU President Donald J. Farish, . "Helping lawmakers craft sound policy based on research is something that we at RWU accept as our responsibility, especially because we see ourselves as a private university that serves a public purpose.” "Given the uncertainty of a new federal administration and what may be their policy priorities, it is imperative for Rhode Island to consider making policy change based on evidence and best…, Anna Cano Morales, director of the Latino Policy Institute at RWU, . "This report was our contribution to the ongoing conversation on this issue." “This report is a great example of our educational philosophy in action — this is engaged teaching and learning in service of society," said , Michael J. Yelnosky, dean of the RWU School of Law, . "Moreover, it is the kind of valuable collaboration that is facilitated by the presence of our immigration clinic and the Latino Policy Institute at our facility at One Empire Street. And perhaps most importantly, the study is a fine piece of analysis that should inform discussions about this important public policy issue.” A panel discussion discussing the report Thursday morning at the RWU…, The full report is available here .
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David A. Logan , professor of law and former dean of RWU Law, who has studied and written extensively about First Amendment issues, contributed this piece to RWU's First Amendment Blog :, Among President-elect Donald Trump's many ill-informed campaign statements was that he was "going to open up libel laws." Where to begin? First, libel law was, and remains, state law. Second, while federal legislation does impact pockets of libel law (most notably, the Communications Decency Act protects websites from liability for merely hosting defamatory statements posted by third parties…, New York Times v. Sullivan (1964), , the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized that such civil litigation represented a serious threat to robust reporting on important public matters. To limit the "chilling effect" of such lawsuits, the court interposed an array of doctrines that made it very difficult for public officials and other powerful "public figures" to win damages for libel, even if a published statement was false and…, New York Times v. Sullivan, and its progeny. But it turns out that these First Amendment barriers to vexatious lawsuits against the media might be porous. Consider the lawsuit brought by pro wrestler Hulk Hogan against the salacious website Gawker for publishing videotapes of Hogan having sex with a friend's wife. Even though the tapes were embarrassing and unflattering to Hogan's public image, they were not false, so a…
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