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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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 . Historically, twenty-five to thirty stipends are awarded each…, 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. PILRAP recipients may receive up to $4,000 per year for a total of $15,000. The application process is simple and requires minimal documentation. , To date, every single eligible applicant who has been in qualifying employment and repayment status has received funding! , Graduates may apply the spring after they graduate. Whether or not students qualify for PILRAP, loan repayment assistance may also be available through the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, enacted in 2008 (information is available through the Equal Justice Works at http://www.equaljusticeworks.org/ed-debt or through www.askheatherjarvis.com )., 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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