Melissa Wasser

The ACLU of the District of Columbia (ACLU-DC), with more than 20,000 local members, fights to protect and expand civil liberties and civil rights for people who live, work, and visit D.C., and in matters involving federal employees and agencies. The ACLU-DC pursues its mission through legal action, legislative advocacy, and public education. In addition to representing clients in court, sometimes we work with government agencies to defend liberty without litigation. We also testify and lobby before the D.C. Council, and we educate the public through Know Your Rights trainings and materials, appearances on radio and television, social media activity, and meetings with community groups. Over the years, the ACLU-DC has litigated several important U.S. Supreme Court cases, including the landmark case of Loving v. Virginia, striking down laws prohibiting mixed-race marriages after Attorney General Robert Kennedy referred Mildred and Richard Loving to the ACLU.