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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Public Interest Community, The Feinstein Center for Pro Bono & Experiential Education is the hub of public interest law at RWU Law and we work to foster a pro bono culture within the law school and cultivate graduates who will give back and help those in need, whether through public interest careers or pro bono legal service in their private practice. We work closely with RWU Law’s Association for Public Interest Law…
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RWU Law understands the financial challenges of pursuing a public interest career. We are here to help you whether you want to be a full-time public interest lawyer or a private sector attorney doing pro bono work. We have financial programs designed to help you come to RWU School of Law (Public Interest Scholarships), to help you gain public interest experience through unpaid summer…, Scholarships, Public Interest Scholarships are awarded to students who have shown a strong commitment to public interest law and a willingness to enter into public interest law after graduation. These scholarships are awarded at the time of admission., Summer Stipend Program, Public interest summer internships are invaluable opportunities to gain experience, make contacts, and build upon your commitment to public interest. Because many public interest opportunities are unpaid, students can apply for a summer stipend through the Office of Career Development's competitive Public Interest Stipend Program . , PILRAP, RWU Law's Public Interest Loan Repayment Assistance Program (PILRAP) was created in 2008 and is designed to provide support in the form of forgivable loans to our graduates pursuing careers representing low-income clients in non-profit offices. , , Graduates may apply in the spring after they graduate. More Information about PILRAP, Postgraduate Fellowships, The RWU Law Center for Justice Fellowship is open to only RWU Law graduates and employs recent graduates of Roger Williams University School of Law as staff attorneys for a two-year fellowship period. Students may also apply for highly competitive post-graduate public interest fellowships sponsored by many different organizations. The most well-known programs are the Equal Justice Works…
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At the Bronx Defenders, I have gained practical courtroom experience as well as learned what it really means to provide holistic defense. The lawyers at the Bronx Defenders care about the whole client, not just the legal case, and I’ve been able to learn from some of the most talented public defenders anywhere. After spending my “Alternative Spring Break” here during my first year of law school,…
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Application Information, Applications: 919 Accepted: 627 Enrolled: 170, LSAT & GPA - Overall*, Percentile, LSAT, GPA, 75th Percentile 151 3.5 Median 148 3.3 25th Percentile 145 3.0 * Data is certified by the Law School Admissions Council. , LSAT & GPA – Honors Program, Percentile, LSAT, GPA, 75th Percentile 159 3.7 Median 155 3.6 25th Percentile 154 3.3, Age Distribution, Ages: 20 - 50 Average Age: 25, Gender, Women 56% Men 44%, Diversity, Entering Class: 32% Asian/Pacific Islander 7 American Indian/American Native 0 Black/African American 13 Hispanic/Latino 24 Multi-Racial 6 LGBTQ: 10%, * This data is as of 8/15/2017.
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The Trial Team at RWU Law provides an invaluable experience for students who have the requisite talent, dedication, and interest in courtroom litigation. Students are taught not only how to think like trial attorneys, but how to , be, , trial attorneys. Each year, team members compete in regional and national trial competitions that provide an opportunity to test their skills against law students from around the country. RWU Law has a history of excellence at these competitions. Students compete for a place on the Trial Team through a tryout process. Tryouts are held during the fall semester. The tryout process is open…
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All forms listed below are accessible to current students through the RWU Law Bridges page .
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