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.

Criminal Law
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

Hayat v. Diaz

In Hayat v. Diaz, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is considering whether police officers may forcibly enter homes without a warrant based only on “reasonable suspicion” of a crime.
Civil and Human Rights
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

Williams v. Huner

In Williams v. Huner, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is considering whether a Pennsylvania prison’s failure to provide a prisoner with rigid neck and wrist braces and effective pain medication violated...
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.

Our Latest Work

Rule of Law
October 15, 2026

October 2026 Newsletter: In a New Supreme Court Term, CAC Defends the Environment, Workers’ Rights, and Civil Rights

There’s a litigant that the Roberts Court likes even more than Donald Trump: big business....
Rule of Law
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

District of Columbia v. Trump

In District of Columbia v. Trump, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is considering the legality of President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to police the District of...
Criminal Law
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

Hayat v. Diaz

In Hayat v. Diaz, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is considering whether police officers may forcibly enter homes without a warrant based only on “reasonable suspicion” of a crime.
Rule of Law
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington v. Office of Management and Budget

In Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington v. Office of Management and Budget, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is considering whether President Trump’s Office of Management and...
Civil and Human Rights
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

Williams v. Huner

In Williams v. Huner, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is considering whether a Pennsylvania prison’s failure to provide a prisoner with rigid neck and wrist braces and effective pain medication violated...
Rule of Law
October 6, 2026

Supreme Court’s Alito Will Stay Even If Democrats Win Senate

Bloomberg
CAC Chief Counsel Brianne Gorod spoke to Bloomberg Law about Justice Alito’s reliable support for...

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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