Federal Judge Rules for Sanchez in Free Speech Lawsuit
Providence City Councilor Miguel Sanchez has successfully won a federal free speech lawsuit against Governor Dan McKee's advisors. A U.S. District Court judge ruled that the governor's chief of staff and deputy chief of staff violated Sanchez's constitutional speech protections…
Providence New Bedford, RI, October 28, 2026 —
A U.S. District Court judge ruled that two senior advisers to Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee violated Providence City Councilor Miguel Sanchez’s constitutional speech protections when they fired him from a state government job after he made pro-Palestine statements on his personal social media, according to the available account of the case.
The ruling followed a federal free speech lawsuit brought by Sanchez against the governor’s chief of staff and deputy chief of staff. The account describes the outcome as a win for Sanchez, but does not provide the judge’s name, the date of the ruling or the court’s detailed reasoning.
It also does not identify Sanchez’s state government position or say when he was fired. The specific social media statements at issue, the arguments presented by either side and the legal claims beyond the reported speech protections were not provided.
The information available does not state whether the ruling included damages or other relief, whether the defendants plan to appeal, or whether any further court proceedings are expected. It also does not include responses from Sanchez, McKee or the two advisers.
The reported decision centers on the circumstances of Sanchez’s firing: he was removed from his state government job after making pro-Palestine statements on a personal social media account. The judge concluded that the actions of the chief of staff and deputy chief of staff violated Sanchez’s constitutional speech protections. Further details about the ruling and its implications were not included in the summary.
Story summarized from the original created by Nancy Lavin on rhodeislandcurrent.com, see more information here.
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