Appeals Court Takes 11th Hour Action to Temporarily Block Administration’s Revocation of Temporary Protected Status for Afghans
On July 14, just as time was running out for nearly 12,000 Afghans in the DMV and across the country, the U.S. Court of Appeals (4th Cir.) took action in our lawsuit to temporarily block the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from ending Temporary Protected Status for Afghans, preserving for now their work permits and deportation protections.
Since 1990, the U.S. government has granted TPS, a form of humanitarian relief, to nationals of certain countries that have become embroiled in violent conflict or suffered a natural disaster.
Those in TPS status are permitted to work and to remain in the U.S. on a temporary basis. In the case of Afghans, many have served as partners to U.S. forces in Afghanistan as interpreters, drivers, mechanics and more.
In May 2025, DHS announced that it would end TPS for Afghanistan and Cameroon, thereby placing in danger thousands of Afghan and Cameroonian TPS holders who would be returned to countries afflicted by armed conflict, hunger, and human rights abuses.
WLC sued, along with the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP), on behalf of our client CASA, challenging the revocation of TPS for Afghanistan and Cameroon (the latter is set to expire on Aug. 4).
On July 14, WLC filed an emergency appeal with the 4th Circuit, and later won a one-week stay, preserving TPS for Afghans while the appeals court considers the merits. Without this stay, deportation proceedings for Afghan TPS holders could have started on July 15.
The 4th Circuit has asked the parties to file briefs this week. The WLC team along with ICAP is busy at work.
“We are pleased with the Fourth Circuit’s decision to temporarily pause the termination of TPS for Afghanistan,” said CASA legal director Ama Frimpong. “Although temporary, every moment counts when it comes to families figuring out their futures and being protected from ICE’s terror.”
Following the June 27 SCOTUS decision, WLC continues our fight to safeguard constitutional birthright citizenship
On June 27, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) issued an order curtailing nationwide injunctions and raising the possibility that the administration’s unconstitutional executive order (EO) curtailing birthright citizenship could partially go into effect. (Notably, the SCOTUS order did not address the merits of constitutional birthright citizenship.)
Days later, in early July, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee took significant new steps in our own lawsuit (not one of the three cases before SCOTUS) to preserve constitutional birthright citizenship for infants born on U.S. soil. Our Amended Complaint adds several individual plaintiffs, adds a new claim alleging that the EO violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, and adds class claims in response to the SCOTUS decision.
We are now bringing this case as a class action lawsuit and have moved for partial summary judgment on our claims that the EO violates the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment and the Immigration and Nationality Act, and exceeds the authority of the Executive branch.
Meanwhile, on July 10, in a separate birthright citizenship lawsuit, a federal court (New Hampshire) blocked the EO and certified a nationwide class.
We are proud to continue this constitutional fight. We will continue to pursue our lawsuit until we obtain a final ruling cementing birthright citizenship.
Thank you for staying with us in this battle for our country’s past, present, and future.
Read our press release in response to the June 27 Supreme Court decision
WLC Sues to Ensure Safety for Blind Pedestrians in D.C.
In May 2025, WLC, along with Relman Colfax and Disability Rights Advocates, filed a class action suit on behalf of the DC Council of the Blind (DCCB) and five plaintiffs. The complaint highlights systemic barriers that prevent individuals with disabilities from safely crossing the majority of signalized intersections in DC, depriving them of equal participation in public life. Read the complaint.
While DC has installed visual pedestrian signals at more than 1600 intersections to ensure the safety of its sighted pedestrians, only a fraction of those intersections have devices with auditory, tactile, and vibrotactile cues—Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS)—to make them accessible to blind pedestrians. And the modest number of APS signals is plagued by installation and maintenance issues.
Our suit presents claims on behalf of people with disabilities who, in the absence of APS, have encountered significant challenges in navigating D.C. These experiences compromise their ability to travel through D.C. safely and independently, and isolate them from work, education, recreation, religious services, cultural events, and shopping. When blind pedestrians must spend extra time or money to navigate D.C. without functional APS, they are paying a “blindness tax” to participate in daily activities.
Court Grants Class Certification for D.C. Students with Disabilities Incarcerated by the Bureau of Prisons
For decades, D.C. students with disabilities serving a sentence in the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) have been deprived of their right to education, including special education. Since 2001, D.C. has not maintained a local prison for individuals serving sentences for felony convictions. Instead, the city relies on the BOP to incarcerate D.C. residents with felony convictions, resulting in their imprisonment at BOP facilities throughout the country, often far from the District. D.C. students with disabilities in BOP facilities are entitled to special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), but D.C. and the BOP have, for decades, failed to provide these students with the education to which they are entitled.
In 2024, WLC along with School Justice Project and Nixon Peabody LLP filed a class action complaint on behalf of two students, alleging that D.C. is violating local and federal laws by depriving them of access to special education. In March 2025, a federal court granted class certification and cleared the way for students incarcerated in the BOP to pursue their suit. The court ruled that IDEA imposes a continuing obligation on D.C. to ensure students with disabilities receive an education and found that BOP’s GED program is not an acceptable alternative to special education and the chance to earn a high school diploma.
The court’s decision allows the students to bring their claims as a class action, enabling D.C. students who are, were, or will be incarcerated in the BOP to seek relief collectively. We are proud of this progress moving incarcerated students closer to receiving the education they deserve, which can have a profoundly positive impact on their future outcomes.
WLC Files Accessible Design and Construction Complaints Against Properties in D.C. and Baltimore
In February 2025, Equal Rights Center (ERC) filed complaints alleging accessible design and construction violations at properties in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Represented by WLC, Handley Farah & Anderson, and Crowell & Moring, ERC filed a HUD complaint over The Brixton in Baltimore and a suit in D.C. regarding the Bonsai Apartments.
ERC alleges that The Brixton violates all FHA design requirements, including inaccessible entrances, common areas, interior doors, routes, controls, kitchens, and bathrooms. The Bonsai Apartments allegedly have doors and hallways too narrow for wheelchair users, bathrooms lacking space, and inaccessible common areas.
D.C. Students with Disabilities Cleared to Continue Their Fight for Safe and Reliable School Bus Transportation
In January 2025, a federal court cleared the way for parents and The Arc of the U.S. to pursue their case against D.C. for failing to provide safe, reliable school transportation for students with disabilities.
The complaint alleges that DC violates disability and civil rights laws by providing unsafe or unreliable transportation. School buses often arrive late or not at all, leave students stranded, fail to provide needed accommodations, or force students to spend excessive time on board. Plaintiffs are represented by WLC, The Arc, Children’s Law Center, and McDermott Will & Emery.
WLC Sues Maryland Over Indefinite Detention of Individuals with Disabilities
In January 2025, Disability Rights Maryland, represented by WLC and Wiley Rein, sued the Maryland Department of Health for failing to provide timely mental health care to defendants deemed incompetent to stand trial (IST).
The complaint alleges that Maryland leaves more than 200 IST defendants in jails for weeks or months, violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehab Act. Over 40 percent of detainees were charged with misdemeanors or non-violent felonies. The suit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief to end indefinite detention.
Will Barry was named Chair of Miller & Chevalier in July 2025. He advises multinational companies, boards of directors, foreign trustees, hedge funds, private equity funds, universities, and senior officers and executives. He oversees multi-jurisdictional litigation matters, providing strategic oversight, directing local counsel, and ensuring a coordinated approach. An expert in governance matters, Will conducts sensitive investigations and analyses for boards and board committees.
A WLC board member, Will co-chaired the 2025 Wiley Branton Fundraising Committee and emceed the Branton awards luncheon. “I proudly support WLC for its unwavering commitment to fighting discrimination through strategic litigation,” he says. “Their work not only upholds the rule of law but also creates real, tangible opportunities for people who are too often overlooked—people who contribute to our communities every day and deserve the same chance to thrive. WLC’s efforts help ensure that the American dream, of working, learning, and contributing to a vibrant, diverse society, is truly accessible to all.”
Amee Frodle is a Covington associate in the Commercial Litigation Practice Group. She represents clients in the pharmaceutical, biopharma, and technology industries.
Amee graduated from Georgetown University Law Center and clerked for the Honorable Anthony Trenga, U.S. Dist. Ct. (E.D.Va).
Amee is a member of the pro bono team honored at the 2024 Wiley Branton Awards Luncheon. She and her colleagues represented a blind federal employee in an employment discrimination case that resulted in a major settlement at mediation.
In 2025, Amee co-led the Covington Associates Campaign for WLC. "I worked with WLC on a case where we ultimately obtained an extremely favorable settlement for our client, a government employee facing disability discrimination,” she said. “WLC is an impressive organization to partner with, acting as real team members in helping us make the right decisions for our client. In learning more about WLC, I knew I wanted to give back more to a nonprofit that does so much great work in vindicating the rights of people across the Greater Washington DC region.”
Michaela LeDoux joined the Washington Lawyers’ Committee in June 2025 as the inaugural Lew Wiener Disability Rights Fellow. Prior to joining WLC, Michaela was an Honors Attorney at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where she conducted investigations and litigated violations of federal consumer financial protection laws. She previously interned with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, where she worked on migrants’ rights initiatives in West Africa, as well as with the U.S. Justice Department Civil Rights Division, where she worked on federal fair housing and fair lending laws.
At Harvard Law School, Michaela was a student attorney in the Election Law Clinic, where she worked on a voting rights case, and in the International Human Rights Clinic, where she worked on a human rights advocacy project related to Roma communities in Kosovo. Prior to law school, Michaela worked at the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center on fair housing and eviction defense and conducted multilingual outreach on tenants’ rights and fair housing protections.
Out and About
WLC at the National Museum of African American History and Culture
On July 10, a group of WLC staff, interns, volunteers, board members, and donors gathered for an inspiring private tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Coming Down the Pike
WLC Is Coming to Your Neighborhood!
House parties are taking place throughout the DMV. Our staff and board members will discuss our work protecting our immigrant neighbors, defending DC autonomy, and safeguarding civil rights for all.
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.
