John Deaton

Filed a lawsuit in the state's highest court with a group of taxpayers to force the Legislature to allow the voter-approved state audit. The suit argues that lawmakers are spending public money unlawfully to resist it.

February 9, 2026Supports Anti-Corruption

Source: yahoo.com

Received the endorsement of the Log Cabin Republicans PAC, a group of gay and lesbian Republicans, for U.S. Senate in 2026.

August 4, 2026

Source: logcabin.org

Received the Massachusetts Republican Party state committee's endorsement for U.S. Senate in 2026, months before the primary.

November 20, 2025

Source: wbur.org

Lost the 2024 U.S. Senate general election in Massachusetts to Democrat Elizabeth Warren, getting 40% of the vote to her 60%.

November 5, 2024

Source: electionstats.state.ma.us

Lost the appeal of a lawsuit he filed in 2019 against the town of Barrington and its police over his 2017 arrest. A federal appeals court agreed the police had probable cause to arrest him and upheld the ruling against most of his claims.

May 3, 2024

Source: ca1.uscourts.gov

Coinbase's official SEC enforcement docket records John Deaton's appearance on 2024-04-26 in the SEC v. Coinbase matter; the filing concerned an amicus brief on behalf of Coinbase customers.

April 26, 2024

Source: coinbase.com

Was named a 2023 Lawyer of the Year by Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly. He worked without pay for more than 75,000 XRP holders in the SEC's case against Ripple, where a judge ruled XRP itself is not a security.

December 15, 2023

Source: rilawyersweekly.com

Published his memoir, 'Food Stamp Warrior,' through his own publishing company. It describes growing up poor near Detroit, attending law school in Boston, and serving in the Marines.

September 19, 2023

Source: boston.com

Filed a friend-of-the-court brief for XRP holders opposing the SEC's request for a ruling that XRP is always a security, in the SEC's case against Ripple Labs.

October 31, 2022

Source: crypto-law.us

Filed a petition in federal court in Rhode Island asking a judge to order the SEC to drop everyday buyers of the XRP cryptocurrency from its case against Ripple Labs.

January 1, 2021

Source: prweb.com

Lost a defamation lawsuit he and his ex-wife filed in 2017 against New York lawyers Paul and Marie Napoli, who ran a rival asbestos law firm. A federal judge dismissed all claims with prejudice.

September 27, 2019

Source: govinfo.gov

Won a Rhode Island court ruling for a client in a 'take-home' asbestos case. The judge found a property owner could owe a duty of care to a family member exposed to asbestos brought home on a worker's clothes.

April 26, 2018

Source: rilawyersweekly.com

Was arrested in September 2017 in Barrington, Rhode Island, and charged with assault, battery, and disorderly conduct after a fight at a youth football game. The town dismissed the charges before trial after he completed 30 hours of community service.

September 24, 2017

Source: ca1.uscourts.gov

Gave $2,000 to Democrat Matt Brown's 2006 U.S. Senate campaign in Rhode Island in 2005, and $750 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2012, federal records show.

September 9, 2005

Source: fec.gov