For years, federal agents have violated the civil and constitutional rights of D.C. residents and visitors. Officers—both those regularly assigned to the District and others deployed temporarily to D.C.—have illegally arrested and detained people with little accountability.
On Tuesday, September 15, legal, policy, and community experts will gather at the National Press Club for the 2026 Annual Membership Meeting of the ACLU of the District of Columbia. The expert panel will examine what federal officer accountability should look like, and the tools D.C. residents can employ to demand it.
“When federal agents face no consequences, that impunity invites more wrongdoing and turns our freedoms into empty promises. Too often, people seeking justice for harms caused by federal officers find the proverbial courthouse doors shut. But the District is not powerless; the Council can act to change that,” said Alicia Yass, Policy Advocacy Director at the ACLU-D.C.
The program will feature legal, policy, and community experts as the organization marks its 65 years defending the rights of people who live, work, and visit the District.
WHAT: 2026 ACLU-D.C. Annual Membership Meeting – Unchecked Power: Holding Federal Officers Accountable in D.C. A public panel discussion on the impact of the harms caused by federal officers, the patterns of rights violations, and how D.C. could hold federal officers more accountable.
WHEN: Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 6:30 p.m. ET
WHERE: National Press Club, 529 14th St NW, 13th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20045
WHO: Featured speakers include:
- Scott Michelman, Legal Director, ACLU-D.C.
- Nina Patel, Senior Policy Counsel, ACLU National
- Amelia Dagen, Senior Attorney, Amica Center for Immigrant Rights
- Kishon McDonald, former client in Black Lives Matter DC v. Trump
MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES
Media attendees will have the opportunity to hear directly from ACLU-D.C. leaders, legal advocates, and a former plaintiff connected to one of the organization’s major protest rights cases. To arrange interviews before or after the event, please contact the media representative listed above.
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