News & Events

50TH ANNIVERSARY BILL OF RIGHTS AWARDS DINNER – April 16th

March 30, 2012
2012 Bill of Rights Awards Dinner
Johnny Barnes

 50TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER - Monday, April 16th

Join us as we say farewell to Johnny Barnes
and pay tribute to
David Isbell, Frank Kameny and Ralph Temple at our

Golden Anniversary Dinner 

–celebrating 50 years from Loving v. Virginia to United States v. Jones: D.C. GPS case

Honoring
Jane Mayer, investigative reporter with The New Yorker and
 Jose-Antonio Vargas, multimedia journalist and founder of  "Define American"

With Guest Speaker
Linda Greenhouse, former New York Times Supreme Court Correspondent
and well-know public television commentator

Jane Mayer
Jane Mayer
2012 Edgerton Recipient		 Jose-Antonio Vargas
Jose-Antonio Vargas 
2012 Edgerton Recipient		 Linda Greenhouse
Linda Greenhouse
Guest Speaker

We come together at this Dinner to celebrate the past, present and future of the ACLU of the Nation’s Capital along with its accomplishments and work in alleviating preventive detention and police misconduct, employment discrimination and censorship, as well as the promotion of academic freedom, church-state separation, first amendment rights and overall defense of civil rights that involve infringement of civil liberties. Click here for full story.

For information on seats and sponsorships, click here, or contact Beverly Miller at (202) 457-0800, Extension 121. Seats are priced at $150 each (tax-deductible over the $70 per plate charge). For online ticket sales, sponsorshorships or to make a donation, click the buttons below. This promises to be an exhilarating, exciting, and enlivening event. 

ACLU-NCA Welcomes its New Executive Director, Benetta Standly

May 16, 2012

Benetta StandlyWe are very excited to announce the impending arrival of our new Executive Director, Benetta (pronounced “bineeta”) Standly, who will take charge of the office on June 11. (click here for complete article)

Walk with PRIDE! …in solidarity with the Capital PRIDE Parade

May 16, 2012

JOIN US SATURDAY, JUNE 9TH @ 4:30pm!

ACLU members are proud of our history in working to make real the pledge of "Liberty and Justice for All."

Walk with us June 9th and help make American history again!

The ACLU was founded in1920 when immigrants, socialists and labor leaders were being targeted, harassed, detained and deported—not because most of the ACLU were immigrants (we weren't), but because we were Americans who recognized injustice and cared about protecting our neighbors.

Because you too recognize injustice, please join the ACLU in showing support for our gay neighbors and Walk with Pride during the Capital Gay Pride Parade on Saturday, June 9th, starting at 4:30pm. We will rendezvous at the old ACLU-NCA offices outside 1400 20th Street, NW, off Dupont Circle metro.

Sign up at (202) 457-0800, email Beverly@aclu-nca.org, donate online at www.aclu-nca.org.

Fall 2012 Legal Fellowship Opportunity for Lawyers and Third-Year Law Students

April 09, 2012

OVERVIEW:

The American Civil Liberties Union of the Nation's Capital (ACLU-NCA) invites applications for a two year Tony Dunn Fellowship in Civil Liberties. This Fellowship is funded through the generosity of the Anthony Stewart Dunn Foundation, which supports civil liberties in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Dunn Fellow will work as part of the ACLU-NCA Legal Department. The Fellow will  investigate and evaluate requests and correspond with those seeking ACLU legal help; provide legal research and analysis; develop theories to support new litigation projects; draft pleadings, affidavits, motions, and briefs; participate in discovery and trial practice; provide support and assistance to other ACLU affiliates and to volunteer attorneys; and supervise student interns. Learn more »

ACLU-NCA testifies on operation of new disorderly conduct law

February 05, 2012

On February 1, ACLU-NCA Senior Staff Attorney Fritz Mulhauser testified at a DC Council oversight hearing reviewing the implementation of the recently revised statute on disorderly conduct. Our  testimony focused on two problems of overzealous enforcement, involving the "incommoding" and "disrupting public gatherings" portions of the law.

ACLU-NCA opposes mandatory pretrial detention bill

February 05, 2012

On February 3, we opposed Bill 19-485, which would mandate pretrial detention or the use of an electronic monitoring device by any person accused of a crime involving a gun. We pointed out that the bill’s central purpose – removing from the courts the ability to tailor the conditions of pretrial release to fit the defendant – was at odds with the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of excessive bail.

D.C. Statehood Winter Teach In Planned Jan 7, 2012

January 05, 2012

High Ranking Senate and House Staffers Headline

New D.C. Statehood Song to be Unveiled

Darrel Thompson, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Senate Majority Leader and Keenan Keller, Senior Democratic Counsel for the House Judiciary Committee headline a distinguished group of presenters, including Aimee Ochetti, Director of Government relations for UDC and Wade Henderson, Executive Director of the Leadership Conference On Civil Rights, that will discuss "Making Congress Move" at the D.C. Statehood Winter Teach In. Come. Learn More. Act Now. Be a part of the Solution, not part of the Problem.

Darrel Thompson Aimee Ochetti Wade Henderson
Darrel Thompson Aimee Ochetti Wade Henderson

At The Carnegie Institution
16th and "P" Streets, N.W. - Washington, D.C.
5:30 to 7:00 p.m. - Saturday, January 7 2012
Don't Miss This!    Free For The Public!
RSVP to Johnny.Barnes@aclu-nca.org or (202) 457-0800

As with the Summer Teach In, this Teach In will be followed by an evening of entertainment. While the Entertainment Program is not free, tickets are priced to be affordable, and a new D.C. Statehood Song will be introduced. View event flyer »

Reserve Your Tickets

The new song has been produced by Leonard, Coleman and Blunt, former Lead Singers with the Temptations, Drifters and Platters and features a special appearance by Ms. Ayanna Gregory, daughter of Comedian and activist Dick Gregory.

D.C. Statehood Winter Teach In Planned Jan 7, 2012 – Professor G. Derek Musgrove to Moderate

December 12, 2011

New D.C. Statehood Song to be Unveiled

A committed and enthusiastic group of citizens, led by Elinor Hart, have been urging Members of Congress to co-sponsor H.R. 265, the D.C. Statehood Bill introduced by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.

Elinor Hart
Elinor Hart
G. Derek Musgrove
G. Derek Musgrove, Ph.D.

Our Winter Teach In will be dedicated to 1) informing participants of those efforts; 2) enlisting additional support for the work of Elinor's group; and 3) organizing external efforts to promote D.C. Statehood. Themed "How to make Congress move," the Winter Teach In will feature a General Session and two Break-Out Sessions.

We have excellent presenters lined up, including staff from Congress, the Executive Branch and private sector activists and lobbyists who know how to get things done in Congress. Because of limited capacity, kindly let us know if you plan to participate in the Teach In. A complete Agenda will then be sent to you later. Read more »

ACLU-NCA Testifies on Draft Registration Bill

December 05, 2011

On November 29, ACLU-NCA Legal Director Arthur Spitzer testified on D.C. Council Bill 19-330, the "Access to Selective Service Registration Amendment Act of 2011," which would change the word "may" to "shall" in the sentence that currently provides: "Men between 18 and 25 years of age, may register with the Selective Service when they obtain or renew their driver's license."

ACLU-NCA Testifies on Ethics Reform Bill

December 05, 2011

On November 30, ACLU-NCA Legal Director Arthur Spitzer testified before the D.C. Council Committee on Government Operations on the "Board of Ethics and Government Accountability Establishment and Comprehensive Ethics Reform Amendment Act of 2011," calling attention to many due process, free speech, and privacy problems with the bill.