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S 2963Civil Procedure

Courts and Civil Procedure - Courts - Court Administration

This bill allows federal judges living in RI to remove their personal information from public records and commercial data sites.

Held for study
Population
Affected
8
Email Legislator
Introduced Mar 4, 2026Committee Senate Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends the Rhode Island Judicial Security Act to enhance safety and privacy protections for judicial officers. It expands the definition of "protected individual" to include federal judges and magistrates residing in Rhode Island. The bill allows these individuals to request that state and municipal agencies keep their personal contact information confidential. Additionally, it prohibits commercial data aggregators from selling, trading, or displaying the personal information of these officials and their families after receiving a written request to remove it. Violations can result in civil lawsuits for injunctive relief and legal fees.

For younger readers

This bill is designed to keep judges and their families safe. Sometimes, people get angry at judges because of decisions they make in court. This law lets judges (including federal judges who live in Rhode Island) ask the government and companies that collect data to hide their home addresses and phone numbers. If a company lists a judge's private information online, the judge can ask them to take it down. If the company refuses, the judge can go to court to make them stop and pay for the judge's lawyer.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Judges and MagistratesData AggregatorsState AgenciesMunicipal AgenciesFamilies of Judicial Officers
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

Moderate risk

There is a moderate constitutional risk regarding the First Amendment. By prohibiting private entities (data aggregators) from publishing truthful information that may have been lawfully obtained from public records, the bill restricts speech. Courts have previously applied strict scrutiny to such restrictions (e.g., Florida Star v. B.J.F.). While protecting the safety of judges is a compelling state interest, the specific restrictions on the transfer and display of data by private businesses could be challenged as overbroad.

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Protects public servants and their families from harassment, doxxing, and potential violence, ensuring that judicial officials can perform their duties without fear of intimidation.
  • Checks the power of commercial data aggregators by creating a legal mechanism to force them to remove personal data, prioritizing individual safety over corporate profit.
  • Recognizes the importance of family welfare by extending privacy protections to the spouses and children of judicial officers, who are often innocent targets of political or legal grievances.
  • Creates a two-tiered system of privacy rights where government officials are granted protections from data harvesting that are not available to the general public or vulnerable marginalized groups.
  • Reduces transparency regarding the residency of public officials, which could make it harder for the community to monitor potential conflicts of interest or ensure officials live in the jurisdictions they serve.
  • Relies on the court system for enforcement, which may create a perception of bias or conflict of interest since judges would be adjudicating cases involving the privacy rights of their own colleagues.
For Conservatives
  • Strengthens the rule of law and the stability of the judicial system by ensuring that judges can issue rulings based on the law rather than fear of mob violence or retribution.
  • Protects the sanctity and safety of the traditional family unit by explicitly covering the spouses and children of judges from intrusion and danger.
  • Provides a mechanism to hold unaccountable technology companies and data brokers responsible for reckless dissemination of sensitive personal information.
  • Imposes significant regulatory burdens and compliance costs on private businesses and data aggregators, forcing them to navigate complex removal requests under threat of litigation.
  • Infringes upon First Amendment rights and the free flow of public information, potentially hindering the ability of private citizens and the press to access and publish truthful data.
  • Expands the scope of government privilege by extending special state protections to federal employees, shielding them from the level of public scrutiny typically required of government officials.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 1 addition · 3 deletions

SECTION 1. Section 8-15-12 of the General Laws in Chapter 8-15 entitled "Court Administration" is hereby amended to read as follows: 8-15-12. Rhode Island judicial security act. [Effective January 1, 2026.]

(a) As used in this chapter, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:

(1) “Data aggregator” means a commercial entity that collects, assembles, or maintains personal information concerning an individual or an employee of that entity in order to sell the information or provide third-party access to the information.

(2) “Immediate family” means the spouse, domestic partner, child, step-child, parent, or any other blood relative who lives in the same residence as a protected individual, as defined herein.

(3) “Personal information” means the Social Security number, residence addresses, home phone numbers, mobile phone numbers, or personal email addresses of, and identifiable to, the protected individual or immediate family member.

(4) “Protected individual” means a retired, recalled, or current justice, judge, or magistrate of the Rhode Island unified judicial system, as defined in § 8-15-1, and retired, recalled, or current justices, judges, and magistrates of the United States Supreme Court, United States Courts of Appeal, United States District Courts and United States Bankruptcy Courts who reside in the State of Rhode Island. (b)(1) No state agency, county agency, or municipal agency shall publicly post or display the personal information of any protected individual following receipt of notice provided for in subsection (b)(2) of this section without first obtaining the written permission of that individual.

(2) Each protected individual may file a written notice of their status as a protected individual, for themselves and immediate family with any state, county, or municipal agency requesting each state, county, or municipal agency to mark as confidential the protected individual’s or immediate family member’s personal information.

(3) Upon receipt of a written request in accordance with this section, the state, county, or municipal agency shall remove the protected individual’s or immediate family member’s personal information from publicly available content within seventy-two (72) hours; and further, shall not publicly post or display the personal information of any protected individual or immediate family member without first obtaining written permission from the protected individual.

(4) This subsection (b) shall not prohibit the list of delinquent taxpayers published pursuant to § 44-1-34 from containing the name of any protected individual or immediate family member, the type of tax levied, and the amount of the delinquency, including interest and penalty. Addresses, including the city or town and zip code, of any protected individual or immediate family member shall not be disclosed on such list once the division of taxation receives a written notice filed in accordance with subsection (b)(2) of this section. (c)(1) In accordance with this section, it shall be unlawful for a data aggregator to sell, license, trade, purchase, or otherwise provide or make available for consideration a protected individual’s or immediate family member’s personal information following receipt of notice provided for in subsection (b)(2) of this section.

(2) Each protected individual may file a written notice of their status as a protected individual, for themselves and immediate family, to any person, data aggregator, business, or association, requesting the person, data aggregator, business, or association mark as confidential the protected individual’s or immediate family member’s personal information.

(3) In accordance with this section, upon receipt of a written request submitted by the protected individual, either directly or through an agent, to the person, data aggregator, business, or association, the person, data aggregator, business, or association shall remove the protected individual’s or immediate family member’s personal information from publicly available content within ten (10) business days; and further, shall not in the future publicly post or display the personal information of any protected individual or immediate family member without first obtaining written permission from the protected individual.

(4) Within ten (10) business days after receiving a protected individual’s written request, a person, data aggregator, business, or association shall ensure that the protected individual’s or the immediate family member’s personal information is not made available on any website or subsidiary website controlled by the person, data aggregator, business, or association, except for disclosures to governmental agencies, law enforcement, healthcare organizations, insurance organizations, financial institutions, or in connection with fraud prevention services or legal process.

(5) A person, data aggregator, business, or association shall comply with a written request received from a protected individual’s authorized agent if the request is submitted with a notarized affidavit signed by the protected individual identifying their agent as being authorized to act on the protected individual’s behalf in accordance with this section.

(6) After receiving a protected individual’s written request, no person, data aggregator, business, or association shall transfer the protected individual’s or an immediate family member’s personally identifiable information to any other person, business, or association through any medium except as provided herein. This section shall not apply to a transfer made at the request of the protected individual or that is necessary to effectuate the request to the data aggregator, business, or association from the protected individual.

(7) A protected individual, or their immediate family member, whose personally identifiable information is made public as a result of a violation of this section may bring an action seeking injunctive or declaratory relief in any court of competent jurisdiction within the State of Rhode Island. If the court grants injunctive or declaratory relief, the person, business, or association responsible for the violation shall be required to pay the individual’s costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.