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]

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."
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:
May 11, 2021

ACLU-DC, Public Defender Service File Discrimination Case Against D.C. Jail for Housing Trans Woman in Men’s Unit

The ACLU-DC and Public Defender Service filed a lawsuit against the D.C. government to stop the Department of Corrections from housing a trans woman in the men's unit at the D.C. Jail.
Issue Areas: Equal Protection and Discrimination, LGBTQ+ Rights, Criminal Justice Reform
May 04, 2021

In Light of Significant Improvements at St. Elizabeths, Court Lifts Remedial Order

“This injunction has been life-saving for patients at St. Elizabeths and we're pleased to announce an agreement with the District that it should be ended, as it has done its job in preventing the rampant spread of COVID-19 at the Hospital."
Apr 26, 2021

D.C. to Pay $1.6 Million to Settle Claims from 2017 Inauguration Day Demonstrations

The ACLU-DC, the Law Office of Jeffrey Light, and the District of Columbia filed court papers stating the District will pay $1.6 million to settle two demonstrators’ rights lawsuit, which were filed on behalf of journalists, legal observers, and demonstrators who protested the 2017 Inauguration.
Issue Areas: Freedom of Speech and Association, Police Practices and Police Misconduct