May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. In years past, this was a time of celebrating and promoting AAPI history and culture. But May 2025 has turned out to be very different: a time when AAPI communities nationwide are fighting for our history, our citizenship, and our very identity.
On May 15, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in three cases challenging a Trump executive order aiming to end constitutional birthright citizenship. Under this order, citizenship would be limited to infants born on U.S. soil to U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (LPR) parents. The Washington Lawyers' Committee is one of several organizations that have sued to block the order.
This executive order represents a radical shift from longstanding U.S. law, dating back to the 1868 ratification of the birthright citizenship clause in the 14th Amendment. Thirty years later, in 1898, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Wong Kim Ark—born in California to parents of Chinese descent—that the 14th Amendment guarantees U.S. citizenship to nearly all babies born in the U.S.
Even at the peak of the Chinese Exclusion Acts, the Supreme Court made clear that the immigration status of an infant’s parents does not determine whether that infant born on U.S. soil is a citizen. For the past 127 years, it has been the settled law of the land that all children born on U.S. soil—with very limited exceptions—are U.S. citizens and therefore guaranteed equal protection under law.
For me, and for many Americans, birthright citizenship is not an abstract historical concept. Rather it is central to our identity and family history. My Taiwanese parents came to the U.S. in the 1960s as graduate students, to study electrical engineering and library science. They later worked for IBM and the Queens Public Library. IBM sponsored my father, and my parents became LPRs and eventually naturalized U.S. citizens.
Along the way, my parents had me and my sisters. At the time I was born, my parents were in lawful work status but had not yet obtained lawful permanent residence. Had the Trump executive order been in effect at the time of my birth in New York, I would not have been a U.S. citizen. Indeed, under the Trump view, I could have been stateless—or even deportable—as a child.
I cannot conceive what my life would have looked like, had I not been recognized and treated as a U.S. citizen from birth. For me, birthright citizenship opened the doors to the American dream: federal education loans, international travel, mission trips, and ultimately my career as a public interest lawyer advancing civil and human rights.
There is nothing unusual about my family’s story. Indeed, it's both common and magnificent at the same time. It’s the story of birthright citizenship, and of more than 150 years of American history. It’s the story of a diverse American citizenry defined not by parentage, heritage, or lineage—but rather by place, present, and future.
Together for Justice,
Joanne Lin
Executive Director
Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
Defending Citizenship: WLC Talks with OCA About the Birthright Executive Order
On January 30, 2025, the Washington Lawyers Committee and Asian Americans Advancing Justice filed a lawsuit challenging the birthright citizenship executive order, with OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates as a plaintiff. OCA is a national nonprofit advancing the socio-political and holistic well-being of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.
WLC legal fellow Dee Um spoke with OCA Executive Director Thu Ngyen about OCA’s work and the potential impact of the executive order on families and communities. Click below to watch the video.
Equal Rights Center Files Legal Action Against D.C. Housing Provider, Alleging Discriminatory Practices
On April 23, 2025, the Equal Rights Center (ERC), represented by Relman Colfax and the Washington Lawyers’ Committee, filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia against UDR, Inc., UM 500 Penn Street NE LLC and UDR 500 Penn LLC alleging discrimination based on applicants’ source of income – i.e., the use of a government-issued housing voucher – and criminal history.
This action challenges tenant screening policies it alleges are unlawful at The MO apartment complex, a property in the Union Market neighborhood of Washington, D.C., that also apply to other UDR properties in the city. ERC alleges that the Defendants have enacted an overly broad ban on prospective tenants with criminal convictions, as well as discriminatory policies that exclude those who use housing vouchers by imposing unlawful barriers to their tenancy, in direct violation of the D.C. Human Rights Act, the D.C. Fair Criminal Record Screening for Housing Act of 2016, and the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act.
“ERC’s lawsuit employs consumer protection law in a pioneering effort to secure safe and affordable housing for D.C. residents,” stated Mirela Missova, Supervising Counsel at WLC. “Discriminatory policies significantly hinder the ability to safeguard low-income tenants.”
Daniel Chung is a co-hiring partner of the Gibson office in Washington, DC. He focuses on commercial litigation and defense against civil and criminal regulatory enforcement. He also regularly advises corporate executives, boards, and audit committees, and conducts sensitive internal investigations. His experience spans technology companies, media companies, healthcare, and financial institutions.
Daniel previously served as Assistant US Attorney (SDNY) where he prosecuted securities fraud, health care fraud, insurance fraud, immigration fraud, money laundering, complex racketeering, murder, terrorism, and international drug cartels. He tried eight federal criminal jury trials to verdict, and briefed and argued numerous appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals.
A Harvard Law graduate, Daniel clerked for the Honorable Norman Stahl on the U.S. Court of Appeals (1st Cir.) and the Honorable Michael Mukasey on the U.S. District Court (SDNY).
As a board member of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee, Daniel says, “I have long admired WLC not only for its mission, but also how it goes about it—with compassion, conviction, and strategy. I am honored and excited to be among WLC’s newest board members during these crucial times.”
Dee Um has joined the Washington Lawyers’ Committee as a Seaman-Plancher Fellow. She will support the WLC Workers’ Rights team, representing low-wage immigrant workers and workers with criminal records. Her focus areas include combating wage theft, sexual harassment, and worker misclassification, as well as ensuring that non-English speakers have language access to employment services.
Dee previously worked as an AmericaCorps VISTA volunteer, assisting newly arriving refugees and asylum seekers in Berkeley, Calif. A Harvard Law School graduate, Dee spent much of her time at Harvard representing indigent clients in public defense and immigration cases.
More than 30 law firms worked together to raise over $600,000 in our 2025 Associates’ Campaign (AC) – an all-time record!
We are deeply grateful to all our AC teams. Congratulations to:
Top AC fundraising teams (large firm): WilmerHale Williams & Connolly
Top AC fundraising teams (mid-sized firm): Willkie Farr & Gallagher Jenner & Block
Top AC fundraising teams (small firm): Wilkinson Stekloff
Zuckerman Spaeder
Top AC novice team:
Jones Day
Wilkinson Stekloff
Congratulations to Wilkinson Stekloff LLP—the top-performing team among small-sized law firms in the Washington Lawyers’ Committee’s 2025 Associates Campaign!
Thank you for fueling our mission and standing Together for Justice.
WLC and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP brought a case to ensure that E.C., an elementary school student with developmental disabilities, was receiving a free appropriate public education in a setting where he could interact with his peers. Because of his complex health needs, E.C. was deprived of an education in an appropriate setting for more than two years. Unable to attend school in person, he was only provided with limited education at his house. Thanks to the work of Weil and WLC, E.C. can now participate in school virtually, joining his peers in a robust educational experience. This case helped establish that students with disabilities like E.C. deserve the opportunity to participate fully in their education.
We’re proud to present an outstanding achievement award to the Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP pro bono team, whose commitment to disability rights and educational equity is making a difference for families across our community.
Join us May 28 at the JW Marriott in Washington, DC, for the 2025 Wiley A. Branton Awards Luncheon as we celebrate law firm and advocacy partnerships advancing justice. Your support makes this work possible.
Board Co-Chairs Joseph Davis (Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP) Avis Buchanan (retired) Board of Directors
The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs works to create legal, economic, and social equity for low-income marginalized communities in Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC, and across the country. We partner with individuals and communities facing discrimination and with the legal community to achieve justice. We bring strategic litigation to advance fair housing, disability rights, education equity, workers’ rights, immigrant justice, women’s rights, and criminal legal system reform.
