Join the Fight

Join us for Our 2024 Membership Meeting

ACLU-DC Resources for Abortion in D.C.

Update After Alleged Violations of Students' First Amendment Rights

Five ways the First Amendment protects your speech – and three ways it does not

D.C. has long been a critical venue for people to express their views, as a place with 700,000 local residents and as the site of the federal government. Here's what to know about our First Amendment rights in...

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.

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.

Latest Press Releases

September 10, 2024

Lawsuit Challenging Armed Police Response to Mental Health Emergencies in Washington, D.C. to Proceed

“This ruling moves us one step closer to bringing essential, life-saving emergency mental health care to D.C. communities."

August 9, 2024

Appeals Court Rules D.C. Police Cannot Hold Personal Property for Unreasonable Amount of Time

“These cases show the importance of this principle, as they involve officers retaining property seized from people arrested (though not charged) after racial justice protests. The officers’ conduct not only...

July 5, 2024

Judge Denies Claims Against Federal Officials for Police Attack on Civil Rights Demonstrators Near White House

“This decision underscores a troubling trend of courts shielding high-ranking officials, like former Attorney General William Barr, from accountability for violating the public’s most basic rights."

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

All court cases