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Testimony March 9, 2026 DC Council
Judiciary & Public Safety

Protecting DC's Authority Over Its Own Public Safety

Capital Rights Lab testified before the DC Council Committee on the Judiciary & Public Safety on strategies to protect DC self-governance following the 2025 federal requisition of MPD under Section 740 of the Home Rule Act. Two recommendations: firewall MPD's civilian intelligence infrastructure by transferring it to DCHSEMA; and pre-negotiate regional mutual aid continuity plans before the next emergency.

Read the testimony → ↓ PDF Home Rule Act § 740
Law Review Forthcoming 2026 95 Geo. Wash. L. Rev. Arguendo

Governing the Seat, Not the City

The constitutional limits of plenary power in the District of Columbia. This article proposes a Bifurcation Test that separates legitimate seat-of-government functions from unconstitutional municipal overreach, drawing on the District Clause, the Enclave Clause parallel, and the post-2022 SCOTUS framework.

Read the paper → District Clause Bifurcation Test
Op-Ed May 28, 2026 The 51st
Washington, DC

DC's Public Financing Program Is Broken. Democracy Vouchers Can Help.

Ward 3 donors receive six times the public match of Ward 8 donors. Fewer than 4% of registered voters participated. Replacing the 5-to-1 match with $50 democracy vouchers, modeled on Seattle's program, which tripled small-dollar contributions, would broaden DC's electorate and fund the Statehood Fund.

FOIA April 14, 2026 CFA · NCPC · USAO-DC
5 U.S.C. § 552

Records Requests: CFA, NCPC, USAO-DC

Three coordinated FOIA requests building the evidentiary record for constitutional challenges to federal overreach in DC, targeting the legal foundations of each agency's authority under the post-Loper Bright framework. Expedited processing requested. Responses pending.

Read the filings → Loper Bright APA § 706
Bill Tracker 119th Congress H.R. 51 · S. 51

H.R. 51 · Washington, D.C. Admission Act

H.R. 51 has passed the House twice. The Senate has never voted on it. Track co-sponsors, committee status, the Senate whip count, and the three paths to 60 votes.

Track the bill → H.R. 51 119th Congress