Lean Into Our Community as Our Fight Continues

Washington, D.C. is the American Constitution Society’s national home base. Our organization was launched in 2001 by students and faculty at Georgetown University, and over the years our office has moved within the borders of our nation’s capital. It is a great city and the people who live here take great pride in it and its history.

ACS has advocated for D.C. to be granted statehood for many years. Needless to say, watching – and for many of our national staff  – experiencing what is happening in D.C. has been unsettling. The administration’s attempt to take over the D.C. Metropolitan Police and its deployment of the National Guard and federal law enforcement agencies undermine the civil liberties and constitutional rights of those living in and visiting our Nation’s capital. These actions are built on mistruths and misdirection and are a trial balloon for similar actions to be taken in other cities whose leadership doesn’t politically and ideologically align with this administration.

In addition to publicly condemning these brazen actions, ACS has joined more than 100 other organizations expressing concern to Congress about the unprecedented and needless takeover of a local government’s law enforcement and the dire threat it poses to public safety as well as to civil and human rights.

We commend D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb for suing to block the administration’s takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department, and U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes for pushing the city and Justice Department to reach an agreement that allows D.C. to retain control of its police department. This doesn’t resolve all the issues with Trump’s efforts to exert control over the Metropolitan Police but demonstrates that the judiciary is taking seriously its role in holding the administration accountable.

As we have long said Courts Matter, and we have seen many examples of this since January, as federal judges have pushed back and issued injunctions against this administration’s attempt to pursue illegal and unconstitutional actions. ACS and its Path to the Bench state working groups’ efforts to help identify and confirm 235 pro-democracy judges during the previous administration are paying off. And our working groups continue to identify qualified state court judicial candidates that reflect the communities they serve.

Just as our 55 Path to the Bench working groups around the country continue to find ways to advance our mission, so too is our network engaged in the fight for our democracy. Our members and network are actively speaking out, attending rallies, and helping their campuses and communities understand the ramifications of this administration’s actions. Enthusiasm in our work is high, with 20 new student and state chapters reviving and re-engaging with our 250-plus chapters. In the coming weeks we will release the 2025 Program Guide, which underscores timely topics around the First Amendment, immigration, executive orders and more. Our network’s diversity is an asset, and I am excited to see how each of our chapters rise to the challenge this year, responding to national and local threats and finding opportunities to protect and strengthen our democracy. As always, we are grateful for our community and its ongoing support. We encourage you to lean into this community as you find ways to respond to this administration’s attempts to strip us of our rights and erode our democracy.

ACS Network and Chapters, Executive Order, Importance of the Courts, National Security and Civil Liberties, Rule of Law, State courts