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.

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

Personal Services Contractor Association v. Trump

In Personal Services Contractor Association v. Trump, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is considering whether the Trump Administration’s efforts to unilaterally dismantle USAID are constitutional and comply with federal...
Immigration and Citizenship
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

Al Otro Lado v. Trump

In Al Otro Lado v. Trump, the United States District Court for the Southern District of California is considering whether the Trump Administration can prohibit certain people from seeking asylum at ports of entry.
Access to Justice
U.S. Supreme Court

Galette v. New Jersey Transit Corp. and New Jersey Transit Corp. v. Colt

In Galette v. New Jersey Transit Corporation and New Jersey Transit Corporation v. Colt, the Supreme Court is considering whether state-affiliated corporations have sovereign immunity.

Our Latest Work

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

Harris v. Bessent

In Harris v. Bessent, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia considered whether Trump’s firing of Merit Systems Protection Board Chair Cathy Harris was illegal. 
Rule of Law
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

Personal Services Contractor Association v. Trump

In Personal Services Contractor Association v. Trump, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is considering whether the Trump Administration’s efforts to unilaterally dismantle USAID are constitutional and comply with federal...
Immigration and Citizenship
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

Al Otro Lado v. Trump

In Al Otro Lado v. Trump, the United States District Court for the Southern District of California is considering whether the Trump Administration can prohibit certain people from seeking asylum at ports of entry.
Rule of Law
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

District of Columbia v. Trump

In District of Columbia v. Trump, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia is considering the legality of President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to police the District of Columbia.
Access to Justice
U.S. Supreme Court

Beck v. United States

In Beck v. United States, the Supreme Court was asked to consider whether servicemembers may sue the United States for money damages pursuant to the Federal Tort Claims Act when they are injured in the...
Civil and Human Rights
November 20, 2025

Supreme Court Could Redefine the Limits of State Power

Newsweek
As the Supreme Court considers Chiles v. Salazar, a case examining Colorado’s 2019 ban on gay conversion therapy...

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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