American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia

Who We Are

The ACLU of the District of Columbia works to protect and extend civil liberties and civil rights in our local community, Washington, DC. We do this by filing lawsuits, educating the public, and lobbying the DC government. We take requests for legal help in writing. You can submit a request form through our website at https://www.acludc.org/help

We take only take a limited number of cases, and with regret must turn down some requests even when serious injustice has occurred.

If your complaint is not connected to the District of Columbia, look up your local ACLU affiliate to request legal help where the problem occurred.

Our cases:

We take cases about civil liberties and civil rights. Examples:

• Freedom of speech and press.
• Freedom of religion.
• Freedom from unreasonable invasions of privacy.
• Equal protection (freedom from discrimination).
• Due process (the right to a fair procedure).
• Freedom from police misconduct.

We do not take these types of cases:

• Denial of government benefits, such as unemployment or welfare.
• Defense to a criminal charge.
• Complaints against lawyers.
• Problems involving taxes.
• Cases about a person’s immigration status.
• Landlord-tenant disputes.
• Divorce, child custody, or neglect matters.

Who We Serve

Area(s): Statewide

Additional Service Area Info

We consider only cases arising in Washington, D.C. Matters arising in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties in Maryland are handled by ACLU of Maryland.

Language(s) Spoken

• Spanish / Español

Is this organization accessible by wheelchair?: Yes

Does this organization provide access for the hearing impaired?: No

Type of Help

This group provides the following types of services based on your legal needs and its resources:

• Full Legal Representation