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]

Apr 06, 2021

ACLU Files Lawsuit on Behalf of Michigan Father Wrongly Placed on No-Fly List

"For over two years I’ve tried to get off the No-Fly List, but the government won’t even give me its reason for putting me on the list or a fair process to clear my name and regain my rights. No one should suffer what my family and I have had to suffer.”
Mar 10, 2021

ACLU-DC Response to D.C. Police Union Statement on Swann Street Report

“Our report was based on interviews with more than 50 witnesses and protestors who shared what they experienced and saw that evening on Swann Street. For the union to dismiss the accounts of these witnesses as ‘fraudulent’ is deeply insulting to those who suffered trauma."
Jan 11, 2021

ACLU Calls for Special Counsel to Investigate Federal Crimes by Trump and Associates

“District residents deserve nothing short of a full, independent examination by a special counsel to investigate the crimes that led to this subversion of our democracy and threatened the safety of those who live and work within the District.”
Jan 08, 2021

ACLU-DC Calls for Independent Investigation into Failures of Law Enforcement During Attempted Coup

The failures of leadership on display this week put the lives of all who work and live in the District at severe risk.
Jan 06, 2021

ACLU Statement on Violence at the U.S. Capitol Building

“We hope all of our friends, neighbors, and colleagues in the District are staying safe in this fraught time. We denounce the attempt to subvert our government and the will of the voters and condemn this armed assault on our democracy.”
Jan 03, 2021

ACLU-DC Statement on the Introduction of H.R. 51, a bill to make Washington, D.C. the 51st state.

"Granting Washington D.C. statehood is a necessary step in our nation's long journey towards racial justice and equality, and the only path to equal civil rights and full citizenship for D.C. residents."
Dec 16, 2020

ACLU-DC Statement on Selection of Next D.C. Police Chief

The ACLU of the District of Columbia called for D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to create an open and inclusive process for the selection of the next chief of the Metropolitan Police Department and recommended a nationwide search for the candidate.
Oct 20, 2020

D.C. Police Union Attempts to Block Body-Worn Camera Footage in Effort to Skirt Public Accountability

The D.C. police union is suing the District of Columbia after being ordered to release body-worn camera footage and officer names from officer-involved killings and use of force. The ACLU-DC, Lawyers' Committee, and others support the District's motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
Oct 14, 2020

ACLU-DC Files Complaint on Behalf of Demonstrator Injured By Military Helicopters Used to Intimidate Racial Justice Demonstrators

The complaint, filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act on behalf of Dzhuliya Dashtamirova, a 23-year old woman who suffered injuries as a result of the maneuver, asserts the National Guard’s actions that evening was an assault.
Issue Areas: Freedom of Speech and Association, Police Practices and Police Misconduct, National Security/War on Terror