WE DARE TO CREATE A MORE PERFECT UNION
Working with District residents and supporters to protect and advance civil liberties and civil rights through public education, political advocacy, and litigation.
Thank you to all of our members, donors, partners, volunteers, and supporters for being a part of this vital work!
2025 in Review: Defending Democracy in D.C. and Beyond
Fighting Trump's Power Grab
Protecting D.C. Home Rule
The Trump Administration’s power grab to seize control of D.C.’s police force and deploy the National Guard in our streets only intensifies the need for D.C. Statehood. At the same time, we’re educating people across the states about why defending D.C.’s autonomy and right to self-governance matters.
First Amendment Rights
The First Amendment protects fundamental freedoms for everyone in the U.S., laying the groundwork for so much of our democracy. Here in the nation’s capital, protecting these rights for all is vital.
Immigrants’ Rights
When the government has the power to deny legal rights and due process to one group of people, it puts all of our rights in danger. Everyone in the U.S. has guaranteed rights under the Constitution, including protections against unlawful searches and seizures, the right to remain silent, the right to speak to an attorney, and due process guarantees if detained or facing removal proceedings regardless of their immigration status.
FROM Our Supporters
“We support ACLU-D.C. because it is a critical force for social justice and the protection of our eroding civil liberties. The ACLU of D.C. is needed now more than ever to stand up for our constitutional rights.” – John and Carol
ACLU-DC in Action
Know your Rights
ACLU-D.C. has been around for 64 years, and in that time, we’ve organized, trained, and advocated for everyone to know their rights. This past year as D.C. has been flooded with local and federal law enforcement in service of a partisan power grab, this work is more important than ever.
Defending Federal Workers
The federal government has unlawfully fired workers simply because they think their political beliefs are different from those the Trump Administration holds. This is a political purge, and we won’t stand for it. On March 26th, the ACLU stood alongside these fired federal workers and filed a class action complaint to demand their reinstatement.
Rights for ALL
IMMIGRANTS’ RIGHTS HUB
Understanding your rights and preparing for potential changes are critical steps towards protecting yourself and your community. Whether at home, in the workplace, or in public, knowing these rights and how to assert them is vital.
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LGBTQ+ Rights Hub
From the first days of the second Trump administration, LGBTQ+ people’s rights have been under attack. Regardless of your sexual orientation or gender identity, you have guaranteed rights under the U.S. Constitution and D.C. Law. Understanding your rights and preparing for potential changes to the law are critical steps toward protecting yourself and your community.
OUR LEADERS
Monica Hopkins, Executive Director
“Don’t lose hope. If you lose hope, you become apathetic and do nothing.” Those were some of the final words of Jane Goodall, famed primatologist, who died in October 2025.
In times of crisis, it can be difficult to have hope—and the larger the crisis, the more hopeless we might feel. But we must remember that hope is a muscle. Our consistent practice of hope ensures that our resilience holds firm as we fight back against the advancing authoritarianism of the Trump administration. Building our hope muscle helps us take action toward the future we envision – a more perfect union that includes every one of us. Here are some highlights of the ways we at ACLU-D.C. are building our muscle of hope in this moment:
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We launched our Immigrants’ Rights Hub in advance of the Trump administration’s taking office to ensure communities, educators, and individuals knew their rights and could find help.
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We prepared for the congressional assault on Home Rule by meeting with members of Congress and sharing our policy papers on Home Rule, appropriations riders, and D.C.-specific executive orders.
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We filed an amicus brief in the District of Columbia’s lawsuit challenging the President’s unilateral decision to deploy the National Guard to conduct law enforcement activities.
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We sued the federal government challenging the Trump administration’s pattern of illegal immigration arrests without a warrant or probable cause.
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We sued an Ohio National Guard member and four D.C. police officers for violating the rights of a demonstrator who played “The Imperial March” theme song from Star Wars to protest the National Guard presence in D.C.
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We created two new Know Your Rights guides for when people encounter law enforcement and military troops in D.C., so everyone knows what to do if they witness or experience police or military activity. These materials are translated into four languages, accessible on our website, and we are distributing over 50,000 physical copies to ensure our communities know our rights.
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We gathered with many of you immediately following the election last year and then again in September – making connections and reminding me how powerful, how wonderful it is to be in community with all of you.
Our hope, combined with the steady action we are taking, fueled by your generosity and commitment to our democracy, is unstoppable. We will continue to hope, resist, and rebuild our democracy. We are so glad we are doing it with all of you.
Toni Parham, Board President
ACLU-D.C. envisions “a just and free D.C. where all people, especially historically oppressed communities, live without systemic governmental oppression and can exercise their power to protect and expand civil rights, civil liberties and human dignity.” Now, more than in recent history, is that vision aligned with the broader ACLU mission of protecting civil liberties and civil rights necessary for our daily life. To say that D.C. residents have been impacted by this new Trump administration over the past year is an understatement. Our community has faced the removal of billions in already-generated tax dollars that supported education and other vital, local programs. We have weathered a President dead-set on villainizing many of us for the work we do and the beliefs he perceives us to hold. In this critical moment, ACLU-D.C. has stood up for D.C. residents and the rule of law. ACLU-D.C. has partnered with others in the community to support Federal workers, defend Home Rule, and advocate for D.C. Statehood. ACLU-D.C. seeks to support as many of its residents as possible. This work—supporting us and our partnerships across the District—is just one critical piece in a large puzzle of actions that can be taken to achieve a just and free D.C.
Heidi Tseu, former Board President
Throughout the ACLU’s 100 plus year history, we have always been preparing for this fight. I think of the generations of donors, volunteers and staff who, decade after decade, have steadfastly invested in the defense of our civil liberties so that they may serve us in the times of greatest need. Over the past year, we have seen with painful clarity that this is one of those times. The fight is fierce and the battlefields are everywhere. Yet thanks to your continued and generous support, ACLU-D.C. is ready—in the courthouses, halls of Congress and the Wilson Building, and in all 8 wards of our city. We thank you for your partnership, courage, and for striving with us to protect and advance a more perfect union for all.
Thank you to everyone who makes this work possible!
Cooperating Partners and Pro Bono Attorneys
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
American Immigration Council
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP
Asian Americans Advancing Justice
Atkinson Law Group
Brennan Center For Justice
Cato Institute
Center for Gender & Refugee Studies
Center for Constitutional Rights
Covington & Burling LLP
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
D.C. Open Government Coalition
Democracy Forward
First Liberty Institute
Hogan Lovells LLP
Human Rights First
Institute for Justice
Kalijarvi Chuzi Newman & Fitch P.C.
Latham & Watkins LLP
Latino Justice PRLDEF
Law Office of Jeffrey L. Light
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP
Jenner & Block LLP
NAACP Legal Defense Fund
National Center for Youth Law
National Immigrant Justice Center
National Immigration Law Center
National Immigration Project of National Lawyers Guild
Public Accountability
Public Citizen Litigation Group
Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia
Tara Reinhart
Joe Sandman
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
Sidley Austin LLP
David L. Sobel
Southern Poverty Law Center
Steptoe & Johnson LLP
Texas Civil Rights Project
Washington Lawyers’ Comm. for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs
Washington Legal Clinic for Homeless
Williams & Connolly LLP
WilmerHale
Julia York
Would you like to help us live up to the promise of the Constitution?
Ways to help defend democracy
2025 Bill of Rights Celebration
THANK YOU
Each year, we come together along with our donors, supporters, volunteers, partner organizations, clients, and community members to celebrate another year of fighting for civil rights and liberties in D.C. It’s a night of community and solidarity where we honor those who have courageously gone above and beyond in preserving civil rights here in the District of Columbia.
Thank you to our sponsors, awardees, and everyone who attended our Bill of Rights Celebration in 2025! Please join us for our 65th anniversary celebration on May 12th, 2026!
