Press Releases

ACLU-D.C. lawyers and advocates are among the nation's leading experts on civil liberties and constitutional freedoms. They are regularly sought out by leading broadcast, print and online media to lend an essential voice to the conversation about some of the most important issues facing the nation and the District. For all press inquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Aug 12, 2021

ACLU-DC Lawsuit Charges D.C. Police Officers with Illegally Deploying Chemical Irritants and Stun Grenades on Protestors and Photojournalists

The ACLU-DC filed a lawsuit on behalf of two photojournalists against the District of Columbia and 8 D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officers for unleashing chemical irritants and stun grenades one month after the D.C. Council instilled a ban on the use of these weapons during demonstrations.
Court Cases: Asinor v. District of Columbia – Challenging Use of Chemical Irritants and Less-Lethal Projectiles Against Demonstrators and Journalists
Aug 02, 2021

Immigrants' Rights Advocates Head Back to Court Over Title IX Expulsions

Groups that sued the Trump administration over Title 42 expulsions of asylum seekers are heading back to court after hitting an impasse in negotiations with the Biden administration to end the policy. They are seeking an immediate halt to the policy, which restricts immigration at the border.
Court Cases: Huisha-Huisha v. Gaynor – Defending Due Process Rights for Children Seeking Refuge in U.S. During COVID-19 Pandemic
Jul 14, 2021

ACLU Responds to WMATA Proposal to Ban Some Arrestees from Metro

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority board will consider a rule change that would ban riders from Metro if arrested for certain crimes while using Metro. The ACLU-DC urges the WMATA board to reject this proposal.
Jul 09, 2021

Rep. Eleanor Holmes-Norton, ACLU-DC Comment on Capitol Fence Removal Today

"The seat of our democracy must never be walled off from its own citizens seeking to exercise their First Amendment rights, or the residents of the District who had no voice in the matter."
Jun 21, 2021

Judge Throws Out Constitutional Claims Against Federal Officials for Police Attack on Civil Rights Demonstrators Near White House

“Today’s ruling essentially gives the federal government a green light to use violence, including lethal force against demonstrators, as long as federal officials claim to be protecting national security."
Court Cases: Black Lives Matter D.C. v. Trump – Challenging Federal Officers’ Unprovoked Attack on Civil Rights Demonstrators at Lafayette Square in Front of the White House
Jun 15, 2021

Civil Rights Groups To Federal Court: New Report “Directly Contradicts a Central Factual Contention” of Government’s Lawyers in the Case of Demonstrators Attacked at Lafayette Square

Today, attorneys for Black Lives Matters D.C. and the civil rights demonstrators attacked last June by federal officers in Lafayette Square argued in a filing to a federal court that the Interior Department Inspector General’s new report shows why the demonstrators’ lawsuit should not be dismissed.
Jun 09, 2021

Civil Rights Groups Respond to Today’s Interior Department Report on Attack of Demonstrators at Lafayette Square Before Trump Photo Op

In response to today’s report issued by the Department of the Interior about the attack on civil rights demonstrators at Lafayette Square Park on June 1, 2020, the following statement can be attributed to Scott Michelman, Legal Director, ACLU of the District of Columbia:
Jun 09, 2021

Civil Rights Groups Respond to Today’s Interior Department Report on Attack of Demonstrators at Lafayette Square Before Trump Photo Op

In response to today’s report issued by the Department of the Interior about the attack on civil rights demonstrators at Lafayette Square Park on June 1, 2020, the following statement can be attributed to Scott Michelman, Legal Director, ACLU of the District of Columbia: