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 01, 2025

Voting Rights Groups Challenge Trump’s Recent Executive Order

The president has no constitutional or statutory authority to unilaterally dictate how elections are run. This executive order is a blatant violation of the separation of powers."
Mar 28, 2025

ACLU and Democracy Forward Comment on Trump Supreme Court Request in Alien Enemies Act Challenge

"No president is above the law. Due process exists to protect everyone from abuse of power, and Trump is no exception. Misusing a centuries-old wartime statute to bypass immigration protections is as unprecedented as it is lawless."
Mar 26, 2025

Federal Appeals Court Keeps Block on Trump Use of Alien Enemies Act to Deport Immigrants

A federal appeals court has denied the Trump administration’s request to lift a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking the Trump administration from deporting immigrants using the Alien Enemies Act.
Issue Areas: Immigrants' Rights
Mar 26, 2025

Federal Employees File Class-Action Complaint Against Trump Administration for Unlawfully Targeting Employees for DEI Activities

“Targeting hard working civil servants because they are associated with an idea the government dislikes violates the First Amendment. President Trump can’t drag us back to a dark chapter in history where the government targeted people simply for their views or values."
Mar 20, 2025

Amid Trump Administration Threats, ACLU-D.C. Sends Letter to D.C. Universities, Urging Them to Protect Campus Speech

The American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia today sent guidance to D.C. universities urging them to reject any federal pressure to punish international students and faculty based on constitutionally protected speech.
Mar 17, 2025

ACLU-D.C. Urges House of Representatives to Pass the District of Columbia Local Funds Act of 2025

We urge the House of Representatives to immediately vote to pass the ‘District of Columbia Local Funds Act of 2025,’ which would restore one billion dollars in local spending authority in the District.
Issue Areas: D.C. Statehood
Mar 15, 2025

Federal Court Broadens Temporary Block on Trump Using Alien Enemies Act to Remove Immigrants from the U.S.

A federal judge broadened the scope of an earlier temporary restraining order, blocking Trump from deporting anyone under the Alien Enemies Act while the case proceeds.
Issue Areas: Immigrants' Rights
Mar 15, 2025

ACLU and Democracy Forward Sue Trump Administration Over Expected Invocation of Alien Enemies Act

The American Civil Liberties Union, Democracy Forward, and the ACLU of the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration today over the president’s expected unlawful and unprecedented invocation of the Alien Enemies Act. 
Issue Areas: Immigrants' Rights
Mar 14, 2025

Court Rejects U.S. Bid to Dismiss Claims over Federal Officers’ 2020 Lafayette Square attack on Civil Rights Demonstrators 

The federal district court in Washington denied the federal government’s motion to dismiss claims against the United States over the actions of federal Park Police, Secret Service, and other agency officers who beat and gassed peaceful civil rights demonstrators at Lafayette Square.
Issue Areas: Immigrants' Rights