D.C. Has a Police Abuse Problem
Police abuse in the District causes significant harm, costs millions of dollars, and undermines the whole justice system. It’s clearly time for District leaders to invest in police accountability solutions.
Join the Fight
BLOG
How to Vote in the June 4 D.C. Primary Election
Here is everything you need to know to vote in the primary. D.C. voter registration, polling locations, early voting, mail-in and drop-off ballots.
“Yes, We Will See Statehood for D.C.”: Anise Jenkins and D.C.’s Fight for Civil Rights
As we continue the fight for statehood, we give thanks to the organizing efforts of Black D.C. residents like Anise Jenkins, a leading voice and advocate.
Latest Press Releases
Interim Agreement Reached for Arab Student Union in Pro-Palestinian Speech Censorship Case at D.C. High School
The Arab Student Union (ASU) at Jackson-Reed High School withdrew its request for emergency court action this morning in exchange for key concessions by the school in the case of challenging the unlawful...
Class-Action Lawsuit Challenges Discriminatory Post-Conviction Supervision System in Washington, D.C.
The case seeks important and federally mandated reforms, including the implementation of a system that proactively assesses the necessary reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities under...
ACLU-D.C. Statement on Student Demonstrations
"The freedom to share diverse views and spark robust debate about political issues is essential to democracy, social justice, and progress — especially in times of national and global crisis. School should be...
CourtWatch DC
Courtwatch DC is a growing DC-based program that provides the space and training for the community to observe local court proceedings in the District of Columbia and document our city’s policies in action and to hold judicial actors accountable for injustice in the court system.
In the Courts
One of the main ways ACLU-D.C. works to protect civil liberties and civil rights is through litigation.
We litigate in the federal courts and in the local courts, and at every level: from D.C. Superior Court to the Supreme Court of the United States. Sometimes we’re able to solve a problem by just writing a letter.
Bread for the City v. District of Columbia – Challenging Discrimination in Mental Health Emergency Response Services
When people in D.C. call 911 for a mental health emergency, it’s generally a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer who responds. The District’s reliance on police as its default first responders for mental health emergencies is not only unfair and unsafe but also unlawful.
Bread for the City v. District of Columbia – Challenging Discrimination in Mental Health Emergency Response Services 
