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Governor Dan McKee, joined by bill sponsors and survivors, signed legislation expanding access to justice for child sex abuse victims. The law establishes a two-year window for victims to bring otherwise time-barred claims against institutions accused of enabling or covering up abuse, effective July 1, 2026.
Rhode Island Bar Association President Patrick Guida criticized a Republican congressman's resolution to impeach U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. after he struck down Trump administration immigration policies. Guida called the impeachment attempt a 'deeply troubling example' of treating judicial decisions as political acts rather than legal judgments. McConnell has faced escalating intimidation, including death threats and harassment, after ruling against several Trump administration actions.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts granted a permanent injunction blocking key provisions of a Trump executive order that attempted to compel state election officials to impose documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration. Attorney General Peter Neronha joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general challenging the order, arguing it unconstitutionally restricted voting rights and invalidated votes legally cast by Rhode Island military members abroad. The court ruled the President does not have constitutional power to rewrite state election laws by decree.
Michele Paliotta filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Providence against Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy, alleging she was wrongfully terminated after reporting sexual harassment by a 15-year-old student and that the school failed to accommodate her PTSD. The complaint accuses the school of violating employment discrimination laws, failure to provide reasonable accommodation, and retaliation. Paliotta is seeking unspecified damages. The school said the case centers on a child with a disability and pledged to fight the allegations in court.
Attorney General Peter Neronha joined a coalition of 24 attorneys general and two governors in filing a lawsuit challenging an interim final rule published by HHS narrowing protections for medically frail Medicaid recipients. The lawsuit contends the Trump Administration is unlawfully reinterpreting the law to make it harder for medically vulnerable individuals to be excused from work requirements. Neronha accused the administration of governing by chaos and coercing states to rush implementation or face penalties. The provision applies beginning January 1, 2027.
A U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts granted a permanent injunction blocking President Trump's executive order that attempted to restrict voting to individuals on federally pre-authorized lists and limit mail voting to U.S. Postal Service lists. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha led a 24-state coalition challenging the order, which threatened to withhold federal funding and prosecute election officials for non-compliance. The court ruled the order violated states' constitutional authority to administer elections. This marks the second consecutive day Neronha's coalition won an elections-related case against the Trump Administration.
Dino Guilmette, a guest on "The Real Housewives of Rhode Island," rejected a plea deal that would have allowed him to avoid jail time by pleading guilty to delivery and conspiracy to deliver Lorazepam. The rejected offer would have dismissed six other charges and resulted in five years' probation. Guilmette, who faces a maximum sentence of 88 years on seven felony and one misdemeanor charge filed in 2022, maintains his innocence and has sent the case to trial. Defense attorney John L. Calcagni III confirmed his client turned down the state's final offer.
U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper in Boston permanently barred the Trump administration from implementing an executive order requiring documentary proof of citizenship to vote and other election changes. The ruling, which converts a prior preliminary injunction to a permanent ban, affirmed that the Constitution grants states and Congress—not the president—authority to regulate elections. Rhode Island was among the plaintiff states in the case.
U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani halted President Trump's executive order seeking to create a federal voter list and limit mail ballot eligibility, ruling the provisions unconstitutionally violate separation of powers. The ruling applies to the 2026 midterm election cycle and stems from lawsuits filed in Boston federal court by a coalition of nearly two dozen states, including Rhode Island. The White House indicated it will appeal.
Governor McKee signed legislation on June 24 amending the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claims and creating a two-year window for victims to bring otherwise time-barred civil claims against institutions and supervisors. The law takes effect July 1, 2026, following a March attorney general report identifying 75 clergy who abused over 300 children in the Catholic Diocese of Providence since 1950.
Former House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi filed an emergency motion in Rhode Island Superior Court on June 25, 2026, seeking to halt the state Ethics Commission from investigating a complaint that his pursuit of a Supreme Court seat violates the revolving-door law. The commission had denied his motion to dismiss the complaint, which argues Shekarchi cannot apply for a judgeship within one year of resigning as Speaker. Shekarchi's lawyers contend Supreme Court seats are exempt from the revolving-door ban as a constitutional office; the commission's prosecutor disagrees.
