Constitutional Accountability Center Constitutional Accountability Center

Fulfilling the progressive promise of the Constitution’s text and history

CAC is working in the courts, with elected leaders, and with legal scholars to preserve the rights and freedoms of all in America, and to protect the integrity of our judiciary.
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United States Constitution | National Archives and Records Administration

What's New at CAC

See highlights from CAC’s recent work, including media appearances, ongoing litigation, newly published scholarship, and upcoming events.

Access to Justice
U.S. Supreme Court

Nielsen v. Watanabe

In Nielsen v. Watanabe, the Supreme Court is considering whether a federal prisoner has a legal remedy when federal prison staff violate his Eighth Amendment rights.
Immigration and Citizenship
U.S. Supreme Court

Montoya Palacios v. Liggins

In Montoya Palacios v. Liggins, the Supreme Court is considering whether the Equal Access to Justice Act authorizes the award of legal fees to unlawfully detained immigrants who prevail in habeas proceedings.
Criminal Law
U.S. Supreme Court

Anibowei v. Blanche

In Anibowei v. Blanche, the Supreme Court is being asked to consider whether the Fourth Amendment permits law enforcement officers—without a warrant, probable cause, or even reasonable suspicion of illegal activity—to search the contents of...

Our Latest Work

Corporate Accountability
October 2, 2026

Corporations Outdo Even President Trump in the Most Recent Supreme Court Term (2025–2026 Term)

After a Supreme Court term that gave corporations everything they wanted in the most important...
By: Brian R. Frazelle
Corporate Accountability
October 2, 2026

Corporations Fared Even Better Than President Trump in the Supreme Court’s Prior Term, and the Upcoming Term Provides More Opportunities for Corporate Wins

WASHINGTON, DC – With the start of the new Supreme Court term on Monday, the...
By: Brian R. Frazelle
Rule of Law
October 1, 2026

Time on Task

The American Prospect
CAC's Brian Frazelle spoke to The American Prospect about the Trump administration's use of interagency...
Access to Justice
U.S. Supreme Court

Nielsen v. Watanabe

In Nielsen v. Watanabe, the Supreme Court is considering whether a federal prisoner has a legal remedy when federal prison staff violate his Eighth Amendment rights.
Rule of Law
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

In re Trump

In In re Trump, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is considering whether a district court can investigate whether the Trump administration defied its orders when it sent Venezuelan...
Civil and Human Rights
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

A.C. v. Metropolitan School District of Martinsville

In A.C. v. Metropolitan School District of Martinsville, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is considering whether the Supreme Court’s recent decision in United States v. Skrmetti requires it to overrule...

Issues We Work On

CAC's work addresses many of the most important topics in modern constitutional and federal law.
Access to Justice
Civil and Human Rights
Corporate Accountability
Criminal Law
Environmental Protection
Federal Courts and Nominations
Health Care
Immigration and Citizenship
Rule of Law
Voting Rights and Democracy

Our Latest Cases

Great Hall of the Supreme Court of the United States | Phil Roeder, Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

CAC pursues a litigation strategy unique among progressive legal organizations by relying on the Constitution’s text and history. Our powerful amicus briefs provide invaluable arguments to Supreme Court Justices, legal scholars, and fellow advocates. Our clients include current and former bipartisan Members of Congress, state and local officials, law professors, and various nonprofit organizations. CAC’s efforts help to secure important legal victories in the Supreme Court, lower federal courts, and state supreme courts.

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From Our Think Tank

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The result of the Fifteenth Amendment | Library of Congress (Public Domain)

CAC produces scholarship showing that the Constitution’s text and history command progressive results. We publish comprehensive accounts of some of the most important and contentious topics in modern constitutional and federal law through issue briefs, white papers, insights, and our think tank series. Our legal experts also inform public discussion around these topics by giving written and oral testimony in congressional committee hearings.

The Arc of Constitutional Progress

The Constitution is, in its most vital respects, a progressive document, written by revolutionaries and amended by We the People who prevailed in the most tumultuous social upheavals of our Nation’s history. Explore the rich history of our Constitution, from the Founding to Reconstruction and beyond.
View the Timeline

Celebrating our Nation's Second Founding

Learn more about the transformational Amendments — the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth — passed during Reconstruction, that helped give our nation what President Lincoln promised at Gettysburg, "a new birth of freedom."
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