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.
Learn More
i
1963 March on Washington | Jim Wallace, Smithsonian Institution Archives

What's New at CAC

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

Rule of Law
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition v. Department of State and Global Health Council v. Trump

In AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition v. Department of State and Global Health Council v. Trump, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia is considering whether the Trump administration’s unilateral decision to freeze...
Access to Justice
U.S. Supreme Court

Martin v. United States

In Martin v. United States, the Supreme Court considered whether the Supremacy Clause overrides the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA)’s express waiver of sovereign immunity when a federal employee’s actions “have some nexus with furthering federal policy” and “can reasonably be characterized...
Access to Justice
U.S. Supreme Court

Villarreal v. Texas

In Villarreal v. Texas, the Supreme Court is considering whether a defendant’s constitutional right to assistance of counsel is violated by a court order prohibiting the defendant and his counsel from discussing the defendant’s testimony...

Our Latest Work

Civil and Human Rights
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Payan v. Los Angeles Community College District

In Payan v. Los Angeles Community College District, the Ninth Circuit is considering whether lost educational opportunities are compensable under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. 
Rule of Law
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition v. Department of State and Global Health Council v. Trump

In AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition v. Department of State and Global Health Council v. Trump, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia is considering whether the Trump administration’s unilateral decision to freeze...
Immigration and Citizenship
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

W.M.M. v. Trump

In W.M.M. v. Trump, the Fifth Circuit is considering whether President Trump can use the Alien Enemies Act to send Venezuelan immigrants to a prison in El Salvador.
Immigration and Citizenship
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

United States v. Smith

In United States v. Smith, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is considering whether the Fourth Amendment permits law enforcement officers—without a warrant or probable cause—to search and copy the contents...
Civil and Human Rights
June 20, 2025

CAC Release: Purporting to Effectuate “Pure Textualism,” Supreme Court Guts ADA’s Protections for Retirees, Neglecting Critical Statutory Context and History

WASHINGTON, DC – Following today’s decision at the Supreme Court in Stanley v. City of...
Immigration and Citizenship
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto v. HHS

In Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto v. HHS, the Ninth Circuit is considering whether to stay a district court decision that prevented the Office of Refugee Resettlement from cutting off funding for legal...

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.

See More CAC Cases

From Our Think Tank

See More From Our Think Tank
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."
Learn More