One year ago this month, the President brought the National Guard to our city to “Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful.” This deployment was launched as part of the President’s anti-crime task force, despite a 30-year low in violent crime in D.C.
Over the past year, the increased presence of the military has impacted the lives of D.C. residents, workers, visitors, and tourists. It has become an everyday occurrence to see National Guard troops patrolling Metro stations, the National Mall, monuments, and parks. The deployment has contributed to an increasingly militarized city and has cost hundreds of millions of dollars. For those of us who live and work here, it’s easy to forget that this prolonged deployment is unprecedented.
In September 2025, the D.C. Office of the Attorney General went to court to challenge the National Guard deployment in D.C. The district court ruled that the use of the Guard for policing in D.C. is unlawful. The Trump administration appealed the court order, and the case is now before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
WLC, alongside ACLU DC and a coalition of civil rights and legal services organizations, filed an amicus brief supporting D.C.’s lawsuit challenging the use of National Guard troops for domestic policing. Our brief argues that deploying state militia forces for local law enforcement undermines democratic accountability and exceeds presidential authority.
We will continue fighting for D.C. communities and their right to accountability from those who patrol and police our city.
Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
In July, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights joined Eversheds Sutherland and Disability Rights DC at University Legal Services in bringing a lawsuit against the District of Columbia on behalf of Melissa Weiss, a digital navigator at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, alleging that D.C. failed to provide her with an accessible workplace.
Ms. Weiss has spastic cerebral palsy and uses a motorized wheelchair. According to the complaint, for four years she repeatedly requested basic accessibility improvements—including automatic door openers and adjustments to heavy doors—that would allow her to safely navigate her workplace.
“This lawsuit reveals a series of striking ironies, each more alarming than the last,” said Kaitlin Banner, WLC Deputy Legal Director. “Over several years, D.C. officials supervised an extensive, multimillion-dollar renovation of the library, yet failed to follow ADA requirements for door accessibility as they redesigned the Center for Accessibility itself.”
Despite the $211 million renovation, the library is alleged to have failed to meet basic accessibility requirements, creating obstacles not only for employees using wheelchairs.
Thirty-six years after the Americans with Disabilities Act became law, WLC is still going to court to open the doors for people with disabilities.
In June 2026, a coalition of 7,000 congregations requested a court permanently halt the Department of Homeland Security policy of conducting immigration arrests and surveillance at or near houses of worship.
The court had previously issued a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking the DHS policy for a smaller group of congregations in February 2026.
In their June 2026 motion for summary judgment, the coalition asks the court to make the injunction permanent and extend it to all the plaintiff congregations, which include the D.C. Baptist Convention, Metro DC Synod, and Delaware/Maryland Synod. The congregations contend that the DHS practices violate the Administrative Procedure Act, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Greater Milwaukee Synod of The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Pat McGlone, a board member of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (WLC), serves as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Ullico Inc. He is a member of WLC’s Organizational Defense Committee and has generously hosted a house party in support of the organization. He previously served as President of the D.C. Bar from 2017–2018.
“The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights has a storied, decades-long history of enforcing civil rights,” says Pat. “The savvy and skills of the WLC team and its pro bono partners have never been more essential. I am pleased to support WLC’s mission of fighting for economic and racial justice.”
Demia Smith, a Fried Frank associate, representsclients on a broad range of asset management transactions, including formation, structuring, offering, and ongoing operations of private equity funds and other alternative investment vehicles.
A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, Demia is a WLC Associate Trustee. “Having grown up in the D.C. area, it is an honor to support the community that has helped shape me,” she says. “Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights takes on important work advancing civil rights and expanding access to justice for residents across the Greater Washington, D.C. region. Serving as an Associate Trustee to support that work has been such a rewarding experience.”
Board Co-Chairs Brian Schneider (ArentFox Schiff) Avis Buchanan (retired)
The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs works to create legal, economic, and social equity for low-income marginalized communities in Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC, and across the country. We partner with individuals and communities facing discrimination and with the legal community to achieve justice. We bring strategic litigation to advance fair housing, disability rights, education equity, workers’ rights, immigrant justice, women’s rights, and criminal legal system reform.
