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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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.

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 invoke the Alien Enemies Act against a criminal cartel, Tren de Aragua.
Civil and Human Rights
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

Talbott v. Trump

In Talbott v. Trump, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is considering whether Trump’s Executive Order categorically barring transgender people from serving in the military is unconstitutional.
Rule of Law
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

Appalachian Voices v. Environmental Protection Agency

In Appalachian Voices v. Environmental Protection Agency, the United States of Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is considering whether the Trump administration can unilaterally terminate an entire mandatory grant program created by Congress.

Our Latest Work

Rule of Law
U.S. Supreme Court

Slaughter v. Trump

In Slaughter v. Trump, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia considered whether Trump’s attempted firing of Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter from the Federal Trade Commission was illegal. 
Civil and Human Rights
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

Talbott v. Trump

In Talbott v. Trump, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is considering whether Trump’s Executive Order categorically barring transgender people from serving in the military is unconstitutional.
Criminal Law
U.S. Supreme Court

Rutherford v. United States and Carter v. United States

In Rutherford v. United States and Carter v. United States, the Supreme Court is considering the scope of a sentencing judge’s discretion to grant compassionate release under the Sentencing Reform Act.
Criminal Law
November 12, 2025

CAC Release: Supreme Court’s Commitment to Text and History at Stake in Case Involving Federal Prisoners

WASHINGTON, DC – Following oral argument at the Supreme Court this morning in Fernandez v....
Criminal Law
November 12, 2025

CAC Release: Justices Assess Whether Judges Can Consider Evolving Views of Crime when Reducing Sentences

WASHINGTON, DC – Following oral argument at the Supreme Court this morning in Rutherford v....
Criminal Law
U.S. Supreme Court

Fernandez v. United States

In Fernandez v. United States, the Supreme Court is considering the scope of a sentencing judge’s discretion to grant compassionate release under the Sentencing Reform Act. 

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.
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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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