2026 Impact Report

In 2026, we’ve seen more staggering attacks on D.C.’s already-limited ability to govern ourselves. Many of these attacks have come from elected officials from outside of D.C., whom D.C. voters did not choose and in a Congress where D.C. residents have no vote.

Our team seized the opportunity of increased national attention to Trump’s attempted take-over of D.C. to build support and infrastructure for action in support of Home Rule and Statehood. We partnered with ACLU National and other key ACLU affiliates to build congressional and partner relationships in other states, with a goal of educating as many people as possible so that they can support future actions in defense of D.C. We had individual meetings with offices on Capitol Hill and participated with ACLU National in Community Safety Week and the Day of Action. We’ve also begun mobilizing a deep network of supporters across the country in support of D.C. To facilitate these conversations, we’ve successfully relaunched the D.C. Statehood Now website as a resource hub for people all over the country to advocate for D.C. Statehood and self-rule. Using these resources, we’ve engaged with thousands of people outside of D.C. and inspired pro-D.C. advocacy, including from the ACLU of Puerto Rico and from the ACLU of Idaho.

We’ve also capitalized on key moments in our fight for local autonomy, letting all Americans know that the entire ACLU supports National Guard troops leaving D.C. with a public letter signed by the ACLU-D.C., the National ACLU, and every ACLU affiliate around the country.

Since August 2026 alone, we have garnered national media coverage on D.C. issues, including placements in the Associated Press, NPR, and a range of Spanish-language outlets.

In a time of profound and frequent politically-motivated attacks, we have had to forcefully remind the government that it can’t silence people because it disagrees with what they have to say.

When the Trump administration targeted and terminated federal workers who had once been associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion, we fought back, filing a federal class action lawsuit in December 2025. Federal civil servants cannot be fired because of what the president thinks they believe.

Last fall, we leapt into action when a D.C. resident was detained at the direction of a National Guardsman deployed to D.C. from the state of Ohio. His supposed crime? Recording while playing “The Imperial March” theme from Star Wars as the Guard members patrolled. Both satire and recording troops performing their duties are protected by the First Amendment. We will keep fighting to make sure freedom of expression in the capital is alive and well.

Through education and legal action, we have protected our community against discrimination of all kinds.

The ACLU-D.C. has updated our easy-to-use Know Your Rights resources to help District residents understand their rights and appropriately react when their rights are being threatened. In addition to holding trainings and disseminating materials in person, we have made these resources available in several languages commonly spoken in D.C. on our website.

When the Trump administration violated the rights of immigrants, the ACLU of D.C. took action. We sued to halt the administration’s attempt to invoke a phony “invasion” to whisk hundreds of immigrants out of the country without any kind of legal process to an infamous torture prison in El Salvador. We are still fighting for due process for those who were deported in violation of the court order we obtained in that case.

Our fights have secured big wins. In December, we won an injunction against the government’s practice of making unlawful immigration arrests of people living in the District without warrants or probable cause. We also won a follow-up motion in May to enforce that injunction when Trump administration officers tried to evade it. In February, after four years of litigation, we obtained a favorable settlement for a veteran D.C. corrections officer subjected to years of anti-gay sexual harassment and retaliatory conduct at the D.C. Department of Corrections. In June, when the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles violated its own policies by forcing an applicant for a driver’s license to remove her hijab to get her ID, we were able to get the government to reverse course. In September, a court ruled, in a class action we filed in the spring of 2024, that the government unlawfully discriminated against people with disabilities on parole and supervised release by failing to provide reasonable accommodations.

This year, we have fought to protect young people from unreasonable restrictions and have advocated for expanding community programs that promote wellbeing and safety. We’ve further advocated for a preventive approach to community safety. We have urged lawmakers to invest in our communities because evidence shows that crime decreases when communities have what they need to thrive.

From 2025-2026, the D.C. Council passed several temporary juvenile curfew bills that expanded curfew hours and restrictions that already exist in the District. The ACLU of D.C. argued that youth need more options for safe places to be and programs to engage in, rather than an invitation for more interactions with police, particularly with the increased federal law enforcement and National Guard presence. While a permanent version of the curfew did pass, we and our partners were able to secure meaningful amendments to mitigate the harm. These included: removing the authority to make the curfew as early as 8pm; a stronger curfew notice requirement so no one is surprised that curfew is in effect; and a requirement that the Department of Parks and Recreation provide structured, supervised youth programming when an extended juvenile curfew zone is in effect.

As the Trump administration has continued its anti-trans crusade in the criminal justice system, we have won a series of temporary orders that protect the rights of trans people in federal prison to receive medically necessary gender-affirming care and equal treatment in prison. Our cases to protect trans people continue.