In this festive two-part season finale of Law 401: Legal Issues Decoded, hosts MDB and Nicole welcome lawyer and improv performer James Bagley L’12, for a fun dive into the quirks of holiday law—from Santa’s chimney “break-ins,” elf labor laws to glowing yard displays—legal angles you’ve probably never considered! Capping this episode is a special year-one best-moments review, with the hosts looking back on their favorite conversations, wildest legal hypotheticals, and a forward look as they gear up for an even more relevant season two.

Resources

James Bagley

James J. Bagley, (he/they), is Defense Counsel for the Mental Health Treatment Court and a Staff Attorney with the Office of the Mental Health Advocate’s Office.  James studied theatre at the University of Rhode Island, comedy at the Magnet Theatre (NYC) and later the Providence Improv Guild, where he was a house team performer for eight years.

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Intimate partner violence affects thousands of Rhode Islanders, and the systems meant to protect survivors can be overwhelming to navigate. In this episode, Sojourner House Staff Attorney Yulyana Torres L’23, breaks down the data, the terminology, and the lived experiences behind Sojourner’s launch of legal services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.  

We explore respectful language, client-led advocacy, trauma-informed representation, disparities in access to representation, and the systemic barriers survivors face in Rhode Island. A powerful listen for both lawyers and community members, offering a sharper view of how we can better support survivors. 

Resources 

Yulyana Torres 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yulyana-torres-381381156/ 

Sojourner House

https://sojournerri.org/press-release-sojourner-house-to-launch-legal-services-program-for-victims-of-abuse/ 

This Law 401 episode examines the difference between expectations of body-worn cameras and their real outcomes.  Rhode Island Public Defender and RWU Law Adjunct Professor Collin Geiselman joins hosts Nicole and Michael to break down how Rhode Island’s camera program works in real life, including what gets recorded, what doesn’t, who can access footage, and why the “truth” on video is often more complicated than it looks. We explore policy limits, privacy concerns, courtroom use, transparency, and what reforms Rhode Island still needs as body cameras become central to modern policing.

Resources

Collin Mathew Geiselman, Rhode Island Office of Public Defender

http://www.ripd.org/officedivisions.html

https://law.rwu.edu/faculty/collin-mathew-geiselman

Body-Worn Cameras

https://rhodeislandcurrent.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/110-RICR-10-00-2_Clean_Proposed-1.pdf

APRA

https://dhs.ri.gov/public-records

AI tools are quickly entering Rhode Island classrooms, from monitoring software to learning platforms, but the laws protecting students haven’t kept up. Attorney and RWU Law adjunct professor Linn Foster Freedman breaks down what FERPA, COPPA, and state-level policies cover. And what Rhode Island can learn from states like Texas and California as they roll out their own AI governance rules.

We explore:

Resources

Linn Foster Freedman

https://law.rwu.edu/faculty/linn-foster-freedman

FERPA

https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/ferpa

COPPA

https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/childrens-online-privacy-protection-rule-coppa

CA’s AI Policy

https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/09/29/governor-newsom-signs-sb-53-advancing-californias-world-leading-artificial-intelligence-industry/

TX’s AI Policy

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/pdf/HB00149I.pdf

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In this episode of Law 401, we welcome immigration attorney Zachary Lyons L’17 to explain Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo, a recent California Supreme Court case that reopened the door to immigration stops based on “reasonable suspicion.”  We discussed how perceived ethnicity or speaking a foreign language can factor into an immigration stop and what the decision means for Fourth Amendment rights for all Rhode Islanders.

Resources

Zachary Lyons

https://law.rwu.edu/alumni/alumni-association/law-alumni-association-board-directors

Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/25a169_5h25.pdf

RWU Immigration Clinic

https://law.rwu.edu/academics/juris-doctor/clinics-and-externships/immigration-clinic

Dorcas International Institute of RI

https://www.diiri.org/

Amor

https://amorri.org/

Progresso Latino

https://www.progresolatino.org/

Rhode Island Senator Meghan Kallman joins us to break down the much-talked-about proposal known as the “Taylor Swift Tax” and the ABCs of tax policy.

She’s calling for wealthy non-residents with second homes valued over $1 million to pay their fair share and explains the data showing “millionaire flight” as a myth.

This episode shines a light on Rhode Island’s upside-down tax code where working people shoulder more of the burden. We also dig into how decades of underbuilding have fueled the state’s housing crisis and what’s being done to fix it, from zoning reform to new funding for affordable housing. Resources:

Meghan Kallman

https://www.rilegislature.gov/senators/kallman/Pages/Biography.aspx

Non-Owner Occupied Property Tax Act

https://tax.ri.gov/sites/g/files/xkgbur541/files/2025-07/2025_summary_of_legislative_changes.pdf

The Economic Progress Institute

https://economicprogressri.org/publications/epi-policy-brief-moving-beyond-the-mass-exodus-tax-flight-myth

Rhode Island Comic Con is back, and cosplay fans are preparing to bring their favorite characters to life. But what legal rules come into play behind the costumes? Hosts Michael Donnelly-Boylen and Nicole Dyszlewski sit down with attorney and cosplayer Blake Johnson L’21, to explore intellectual property, fair use, and the dos and don’ts of fandom.  Is it legal to dress as a branded character, and what laws are behind it? From copyright rules to fan art, trademark issues, and building creative careers in Rhode Island, this episode explores why cosplayers pour time, effort, and imagination into their costumes. And what the law has to say about it.

Resources

Blake Johnson

https://www.sheehanlawoffice.net/blake

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders v. Scoreboard Posters

https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/summaries/dallcowboys-scoreboard-5thcir1979.pdf

Santopietro v. Howell

https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2017/05/24/14-16324.pdf

Just waking up to the fight to reopen Morley Field? Join our guest, Pawtucket City Councilor and attorney Clovis Gregor, as we unpack the dispute over Woodlawn’s only green space and the push to restore it for public use rather than turn it into a parking lot.

What started as a few neighbors speaking up became a microcosm of environmental justice in Rhode Island, raising questions about stewardship, transparency, and public participation in local decision-making. Learn how advocacy and community organizing among the “Friends of Morley Field” are turning the tide toward rehabilitation and recreation, not pavement.

Resources:

Clovis Gregor https://www.clovisglaw.com/

Save Morley Field

https://linktr.ee/savemorleyfield?

RI Environmental Education Association

https://www.rieea.org/reopenmorleyfield/

ecoRI News

https://ecori.org/removal-of-morley-field-will-reduce-green-space-in-pawtucket-neighborhood-thats-already-a-park-desert/

How are judges chosen in Rhode Island—and is the process really based on merit, or driven by political connections?

Our guests — Michael Yelnosky, professor and former dean of Roger Williams University School of Law, and John Marion MSL’20, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island — unpack how judges are chosen in Rhode Island and whether the system truly rewards excellence… or favors insiders.

Using a recent Providence Journal article by Katherine Gregg as a starting point — “How can you become a judge in RI? Start with political connections” — we discuss whether reforms intended to reduce patronage have lived up to their promise.

Highlights:

Resources:

“How can you become a judge in RI? Start with political connections.”

https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/politics/2025/09/29/who-is-in-the-running-to-be-a-ri-judge-and-their-political-connections/85891915007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z11----p118150c118150e000800v11xx10o11----b0072xxd117265&gca-ft=227&gca-ds=sophi

Bios

Prof. Michael Yelnoksy: https://law.rwu.edu/faculty/michael-j-yelnosky

John Marion MSL’20 https://law.rwu.edu/student-life/stories/exactly-what-i-needed

Common Cause Rhode Island

https://www.commoncause.org/rhode-island/about-us/

Judicial Nominating Commission

https://jnc.ri.gov/

Why does land return matter to Indigenous people? In this episode, we speak with Tai Palermo L'22, Legal Director of the Center for Indigenous Peoples Rights, about the historic return of 255 acres in Bristol, RI, from Brown University to the Pokanoket Tribe.

We explore the legal, cultural, and emotional weight of this moment. What land return and the repatriation of sacred artifacts mean for tribal sovereignty. And how they help Indigenous communities take back control and keep their cultures alive.

What’s next for the Pokanoket land? That remains to be seen. This is a conversation about history, justice, and the ongoing work of restoration.

Resources:

Taino Palermo L'22’s Bio

https://law.rwu.edu/faculty/taino-palermo

Land Transfer in The Providence Journal

https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2024/11/20/trailblazing-brown-university-returns-255-acres-to-pokanoket-tribe-bristol-rhode-island/76450706007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z11----p001740n11----c11----e001000v118108o11----b0065xxd116565&gca-ft=233&gca-ds=sophi

Center for Indigenous Peoples Rights

https://www.thecipr.org/

Raymond Two Hawks Watson L'22’s Bio

https://provcei.org/

Office of Federal Acknowledgement

https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/ofa

NAGPRA

https://www.bia.gov/service/nagpra