700,000 Americans.
Governed by a Congress
We Can't Vote For.
It shows.
More than 700,000 Americans live in Washington, D.C. We raise families, start businesses, and build communities. But not on our own terms. Congress overrides our laws, overrules our leaders, and dictates our priorities without consent.
When Congress stripped a billion dollars of our own tax revenue last year, it wasn't an abstraction. It's why your kids' classroom got bigger. It's why 911 goes to voicemail. It's why the pothole on your block isn't fixed. And what does federal control get us? The National Guard in our streets and a Presidential takeover of the local police force, in a city at a 30-year crime low.
Statehood remains essential. But change does not have to wait. Capital Rights Lab is building the case for increased representation, right now.
What We Do
Three pillars of change
Operating at the intersection of legal scholarship, impact litigation, and public advocacy to build the legal foundations for DC residents' rights.
Legal Scholarship
Producing original legal research that reexamines the scope and limits of Congressional authority over the District, advancing frameworks that distinguish legitimate federal oversight from unconstitutional overreach.
Impact Litigation
Developing test cases and legal strategies designed to bring constitutional challenges before the courts, creating precedent that expands democratic rights for District residents.
Public Advocacy
Educating the public, building coalitions, and engaging lawmakers to transform the legal landscape for DC citizens, driving the constitutional case for more equal citizenship.
Spotlight
Recent highlights
Law Review Article
Original constitutional scholarship challenging the plenary power doctrine over the District of Columbia, submitted for publication in leading law journals.
Coming SoonDC Council Testimony
Testimony before the DC Council on the constitutional rights of District residents and the legal framework for challenging federal overreach into local governance.
Coming SoonFlip the Script Campaign
Launching a bold public awareness campaign reframing the narrative around DC disenfranchisement—making the constitutional case for equal rights impossible to ignore.
Coming SoonAbout Us
A legal lab for
constitutional change
Capital Rights Lab is a nonprofit civil rights organization working to expand democratic rights for DC residents. We are experimenting with new legal theories, litigation models, and policy reforms to identify what most effectively expands access to representation and equal citizenship. Our work is building the legal case for expanded rights today, not waiting for Congress to act.
David founded Capital Rights Lab after more than a decade in law and politics in DC — as a policy advisor in the Obama White House, campaign counsel on the Biden and Harris presidential campaigns, and as a litigator at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP. He started Capital Rights Lab to develop and test new constitutional strategies for expanding democratic rights in the District. He holds a J.D. from Georgetown Law and a B.A. from the University of Michigan.