As the nation marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we are reminded that the promises of the Declaration have been realized only through the courage and sacrifice of generations who fought tirelessly for freedom. From the abolition of slavery to women’s suffrage, from the Civil Rights Movement to the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ+ equality — people of every race, faith, gender, religion, and background have made real the promises of the Declaration by expanding the meaning of freedom and equality.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” That arc does not bend on its own. It bends because ordinary people choose to stand up, speak the truth, and act with the courage of our convictions.
At the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, we strive every day for racial and economic justice. We uphold constitutional birthright citizenship. We protect the rights of our immigrant neighbors. We defend D.C.’s ability to govern itself. We believe the promises of the Declaration and the Constitution belong to everyone who calls this country home.
The last decade has taught us that nothing can be taken for granted: The civil rights advances of yesterday can be lost in an instant, and the fight for freedom and equality has to be waged by each and every generation.
As our country enters the next 250 years, let us resolve to continue the work undertaken by so many generations before us: to build a more inclusive, equitable United States of America.
Together For Justice,
Joanne Lin
Executive Director
Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
On June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court concluded its 2025-2026 term, delivering far-reaching rulings on multiple civil rights issues. The Court greenlighted the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections for 1.3 million immigrants, cut back the availability of damages remedies for prisoners denied religious freedom, dealt a major blow to voting rights protections, upheld restrictions on trans athletes’ participation in women’s sports, and expanded gun rights. The only bright spot was the decision upholding constitutional birthright citizenship.
On the final day of the 2025–2026 term, SCOTUS laid to rest the question of birthright citizenship. The Court upheld this constitutional guarantee, in a 6-3 decision.
“For more than 150 years, the citizenship status of a child born in the United States has not depended on their parents’ legal status,” WLC wrote in our amicus brief in this case. “Whether a mother or father is a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiary from one of 17 countries, humanitarian parolee, or work or student visa holder, these labels have not affected a child’s citizenship. The fundamental consideration has been whether a baby was born on U.S. soil.”
We are proud to have been on the front lines of the fight to preserve birthright citizenship. In January 2025, WLC brought a lawsuit challenging the Trump executive order aimed at gutting birthright citizenship, on behalf of OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates.
“This Supreme Court decision reaffirms what has been the law of the land since 1868: Children born on U.S. soil are U.S. citizens guaranteed equal protection under the law,” said WLC Executive Director Joanne Lin. “No president can strip them of their citizenship and their civil rights.”
Read Joanne Lin’s op-ed on birthright citizenship here. Read the SCOTUS decision here.
SCOTUS Allows Administration to End TPS Protections for Haiti and Syria
On June 25, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Mullin v. Doe that the Trump administration may proceed with terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of Haiti and Syria, holding that courts have no authority to review how such decisions are made. The ruling clears the way for the administration to strip work authorization and legal status from Haitians and Syrians granted TPS protection.
This is a devastating decision for the 350,000 Haitians and 6000 Syrians residing here under TPS, and for the hundreds of thousands of other TPS beneficiaries from 15 nations living in our region and across the country.
In 2025, WLC filed litigation challenging the termination of TPS for nationals of Venezuela, Afghanistan, and Cameroon. Our commitment to our immigrant clients does not end with this ruling. We remain resolved to upholding the civil rights of our immigrant neighbors.
A Win in the Bonsai Apartments Case, and the Ongoing Fight for Accessible Housing
By Chelsea Sullivan
Disability Pride Month is a time to reflect and celebrate the accomplishments of people with disabilities who have tirelessly advocated for their rights and fought against ableist constraints.
This year, Disability Pride Month comes at a time when the administration continues to erode longstanding foundational disability rights. For the past 12 years, I have loved working alongside the disability community, beginning as a personal care worker and continuing today as a lawyer. Now, as an Associate Counsel at WLC, I focus on combating disability discrimination in housing, employment, education, policing, and prisons. Before attending law school, I worked as a personal care assistant for people with disabilities and as a program assistant at the Equal Rights Center (ERC), where I coordinated civil rights testing investigations aimed at identifying inaccessible housing units in the District of Columbia. I tested and measured apartment units to determine whether they complied with the accessibility standards established by the Fair Housing Act (FHA).
This work came full circle in 2025 when I, alongside Handley Farah & Anderson and Crowell & Moring, represented the ERC in a lawsuit against 1214 Bladensburg LLC alleging accessible design and construction violations at the Bonsai Apartments in Washington, D.C. The ERC tested the Bonsai Apartments and found potential FHA violations. In May 2026 the ERC entered into a cooperation agreement that ensures the apartment units and common areas will be accessible to people with disabilities.
Through my work at both WLC and ERC, I have seen that many newly constructed apartment buildings in D.C.still fail to meet basic accessibility requirements, imposing barriers for people with disabilities despite clear legal standards.
I am proud to continue advocating for meaningful, systemic change that expands access to housing and protects the rights of people with disabilities to find accessible homes in their communities.
We are grateful to the D.C. Council for restoring full funding to the Access to Justice (ATJ) Initiative in the FY27 budget.
ATJ is D.C.’s largest public investment in civil legal services, supporting more than 30 nonprofit organizations that collectively serve thousands of low- and moderate-income D.C. residents each year.
The proposed FY27 budget had included an 86% reduction in ATJ funding. The Council’s decision to restore funding to $31.8 million ensures the continued strength of this essential resource for individuals, families, and communities across D.C.
ATJ funding is central to our ability to fight wage theft, challenge housing discrimination, protect the rights of people with disabilities, and provide direct legal representation to more than 2,500 low-income D.C. residents each year.
Ella Dawson is WLC’s Development Associate. She supports fundraising, cultivates donor relations, processes gifts, and manages donor databases.
A graduate of Gettysburg College with a B.A. in business, Ella previously interned at Campaign Legal Center, assisting in donor engagement and fundraising efforts to protect voting rights and to advance democracy.
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.
