Tessera

On the 61st anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, and with just four days until Rhode Island's August 10 voter registration deadline, this important piece by Awilda Reinoso López of the Latino Policy Institute is well worth reading. 1/ rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/08/06/n...

Nearly 1 in 5 Rhode Islanders is Latino. The voter rolls haven't caught up. • Rhode Island Current

Roughly 220,000 people in Rhode Island are Latino but the state's voter rolls do not reflect those numbers, meaning a fifth of the people in the state doesn't have a say in how they are governed.

rhodeislandcurrent.com

Jason Knight@jasonknightri.bsky.social · 5d ago

‼️Only 4 days left to update your voter registration! ➡️Check your status at VOTE.RI.GOV

Hey Rhode Island! Just 7 days left to update your voter registration (or register as a new voter!) ahead of the September 9th primary election. Get it done quickly and easily at vote.ri.gov

Last night's forum at the Jewish Alliance covered hate crimes, election integrity, immigration enforcement, civil rights, and the challenges our next AG must be ready to confront. I'm grateful for the opportunity to share my vision for protecting Rhode Islanders and earning the public's trust.

Jason Knight @jasonknightri.bsky.social · 4d ago

Missed last night's AG candidates' forum? We discussed the role our next AG will play in some of the most important issues facing RI—from hate crime reporting and law enforcement training to election integrity, civil rights, and federal overreach. Video courtesy of Steve Ahlquist: buff.ly/zFUnXGS

Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island's Attorney General Candidate Forum

Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island's Attorney General Candidate Forum Voters in Rhode Island are invited to attend a public Attorney General Candidate Forum on Wednesday, August 5 at 7:00 PM at…

youtube.com

Democrats should be paying attention to this undercurrent in the primary. "Solomon has shown he’s out of step with Democratic voters. It’s no surprise he's fishing for votes from Republicans who support Trump & the MAGA movement." @tednesi.bsky.social @timwhiteri.bsky.social @iandonnis.bsky.social

Steve Ahlquist@steveahlquist.bsky.social · 4d ago

Joseph Solomon Jr. is asking Republicans to disaffiliate & vote for him in the Democratic Primary for Attorney General “You go right on the Secretary of State website. If you’re going to update your voter address, it’s the same way as unaffiliating,” said Representative Solomon “Very, very simple.”

Jason Knight @jasonknightri.bsky.social · 4d ago

“With his votes against protecting reproductive rights and against commonsense gun safety laws, Joe Solomon has shown he’s out of step with Democratic voters. It’s no surprise he is fishing for votes from Republicans who support Trump and the MAGA movement." buff.ly/RP9bKUK

Joseph Solomon Jr. is asking Republicans to disaffiliate and vote for him in the Democratic Primary for Attorney General

"You go right on the Secretary of State website. If you’re going to update your voter address, it’s the same way as unaffiliating," said Representative Solomon. "Very, very simple."

steveahlquist.substack.com

Jason Knight @jasonknightri.bsky.social · 5d ago

Hey Rhode Island! Just 7 days left to update your voter registration (or register as a new voter!) ahead of the September 9th primary election. Get it done quickly and easily at vote.ri.gov

Jason Knight @jasonknightri.bsky.social · 7d ago

Thank you to @OpenDoorsRI.bsky.social, Direct Action for Rights and Equality (DARE), Alliance to Mobilize Our Resistance (@AMORri.org), Project Weber/RENEW, and all of the community partners who brought the Democratic Attorney General candidates together for a thoughtful forum on justice.

Jason Knight @jasonknightri.bsky.social · last wk.

What should RI expect from the next AG? Last night's Justice &Policy debate focused on the challenges facing our communities. I'm proud to have shared my vision for an AG who will be the people's lawyer—protecting rights, holding the powerful accountable & delivering justice fairly. buff.ly/HgFpwco

RI attorney general candidates find common ground before policy clashes emerge late in debate • Rhode Island Current

Rhode Island's four Democratic attorney general candidates mostly agreed on criminal justice priorities during a debate Thursday, but sharper differences emerged over the state’s federal detention…

rhodeislandcurrent.com

Jason Knight @jasonknightri.bsky.social · last wk.

On June 19, 2019, I cast my proudest vote of my 10-year career in the legislature. We codified the right to safe, legal abortion in Rhode Island law -- three years (almost to the day) before the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade. 1/

Proud to earn the RI Coalition Against Gun Violence's endorsement because it's built on my record of delivering results. Together we've passed landmark gun safety laws banning dangerous firearms, strengthening firearm licensing, and making it harder for illegal guns to end up in the wrong hands.

🚪 Coming to a door near you! My team and I are knocking doors across Rhode Island, having conversations with voters about the future of our state and the kind of Attorney General we need.

I'm honored to earn the endorsement of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence. I've spent the last decade delivering results: banning ghost guns, bump stocks, large-capacity magazines, and assault-style rifles, strengthening firearm laws, and cracking down on illegal gun trafficking. 1/

Honored to stand alongside my House and Senate colleagues at Dorcas International Institute as the Governor signed four landmark bills to strengthen protections for Rhode Island's immigrant communities. 1/

Fascinating morning at Rhode Island's State Crime Laboratory with Director Hilliard, touring the ballistics and forensic science facilities and meeting the next generation of forensic scientists. 1/

The next Attorney General will face unprecedented challenges. Rhode Island needs someone who won't just react to the biggest fights, but who's already been in them. It was great to join Bill Bartholomew on @997wpro.bsky.social for this AG candidates' forum. 1/ btown.buzzsprout.com/163601/episo...

Rhode Island Current @rhodeislandcurrent.com · 3w ago

Thrilled to share that after collecting over 1,000 nomination signatures from Rhode Islanders across the state, we've officially been placed FIRST on the Democratic primary ballot. Voters, look out for the Attorney General section of your ballot and make sure to fill in the first bubble!

Democratic AG candidates try to set themselves apart at forum in Providence Thursday morning. But that was a much easier task for the lone Republican candidate. By @krish-eh.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/07/16/a...

AG candidates show mostly subtle differences in first public forum • Rhode Island Current

In their first public forum Thursday morning, four of the five candidates running or Rhode Island Attorney General mostly found common ground on issues like gun safety and immigration. One Republican ...

rhodeislandcurrent.com

Edward Fitzpatrick@fitzprov.bsky.social · 3w ago

Great coverage of the Sojourner House forum yesterday. Thanks Ed for your exceptional moderation, and Sojourner House for bringing us together.

Attorney general candidates re: ICE actions: @ahernforag.bsky.social: “This isn’t just a tragedy; it’s a travesty of justice." @keithhoffmann.bsky.social: “ICE has become a killing machine." @jasonknightri.bsky.social: "It is rooted in a profoundly racist effort." www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/16/m...

Max Kennerly @maxkennerly.bsky.social · 3w ago

As always: if there's any class of people who do not have due process rights, then *nobody* has due process rights, because the government can just claim someone is in that class and there's no process to establish otherwise.

Evan Bernick, a finite mode with a smol hooman and a lorg floof@evanbernick.bsky.social · 3w ago

I need people to understand that this administration’s litigating position is (1) federal law currently mandates the detention, without bond, of every noncitizen who is allegedly unlawfully present and (2) constitutionally, they don’t get a day in court. they’re generally losing, but they’re trying.

Ochoa Ochoa v. Noem: Due Process
Having concluded that Ochoa Ochoa's detention is discretionary and not
mandatory, the court turns to whether it violates due process. "Procedural due
process imposes constraints on governmental decisions which deprive individuals of liberty' or 'property' interests within the meaning of the Due Process Clause of the
Fifth or Fourteenth Amendment." Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. 319, 332 (1976).
"Freedom from imprisonment-from government custody, detention, or other forms
of physical restraint-lies at the heart of the very liberty that [the Due Process
Clause] protects." Zadvydas v. Davis, 533 U.S. 678, 690 (2001).
To support its argument that Ochoa Ochoa has limited due process rights in
the detention context, Respondents rely on Dep't of Homeland Sec. v. Thuraissigiam, where the Supreme Court held that a petitioner who was still "at the threshold of initial entry," though technically in the country, could still be treated as "an alien
seeking initial entry." 591 U.S. 103, 114 2020) holding that a noncitizen detained "within 25 yards of the border" is treated as if stopped at the border and had not acquired due process protections). Contrary to Respondents' position, Thuraissigiam held only that noncitizens detained close to the border "shortly after unlawful entry"
have not yet "effected an entry." Id. at 140; see also Shaughnessy v. United States, 345 U.S. 206, 212 (1953) (explaining that noncitizens "on the threshold of initial entry
stand[] on a different footing" than those who have "passed through our gates").

Steve Ahlquist@steveahlquist.bsky.social · 3w ago

Grateful to Sojourner House for hosting us this morning, and of course to Steve for working so hard and always showing up to keep his readers informed. This was an excellent discussion. Check it out via recording or transcript:

Sojourner House holds 2026's first Rhode Island Attorney General public forum “One of the most critical functions of the Attorney General’s office is to assist victims of crime in seeking justice and support,” said Vanessa Volz, President and CEO of Sojourner House.