The District of Columbia has local officials, including a mayor, who have authority to direct local law enforcement within the district.
November 20, 2025
high
legal
Structure of local governance and law-enforcement authority in the District of Columbia.
As of 2025, 18 U.S. states and the District of Columbia accept mailed ballots that are received after Election Day provided the ballots are postmarked on or before Election Day, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
November 10, 2025
high
statistical
State policies on counting mailed ballots received after Election Day when they bear an on-or-before Election Day postmark.
LIHEAP serves households in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and federally recognized tribes.
November 02, 2025
high
statistical
Program geographic coverage
As of 2025, 19 U.S. states and the District of Columbia issue driver's licenses regardless of an applicant's immigration status, according to the National Immigration Law Center.
October 25, 2025
high
statistical
State-level policies on issuing driver's licenses without regard to immigration status.
The District of Columbia is a federal district with limited powers of self-government compared with U.S. states.
October 24, 2025
high
institutional
Summarizes the distinctive legal and governance status of Washington, D.C.
The District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) is a federal district rather than a U.S. state, which affects the legal authority and jurisdiction applicable to deployments there.
October 08, 2025
high
jurisdictional
Distinction between a federal district and a state creates different legal relationships for federal and local authorities.
CSOSA is the acronym for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, an agency involved in probation supervision in the District of Columbia.
September 01, 2025
high
organizational
Identification of the agency name and role as referenced in reporting about probation compliance.
A preliminary audit by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) found that California, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Washington state, Colorado, and Oregon improperly spent a combined $1,351,204,127 in federal Medicaid funds on healthcare for undocumented (illegal) immigrants, mostly during 2024 and 2025.
January 01, 2025
high
statistical
Result from a CMS preliminary audit reporting aggregated improper federal Medicaid spending by several jurisdictions.
Congress granted home-rule powers to the District of Columbia in 1973 through legislation that devolved certain local governance authorities to D.C.
December 24, 1973
high
temporal
Historical legal change establishing local governing authority for the District of Columbia.
Conversion therapy is banned in 23 U.S. states and in the District of Columbia.
high
statistic
Count of U.S. states and the District of Columbia with bans on conversion therapy for minors.
The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, and warrantless searches of a suspect's personal effects (for example, a backpack) can be challenged as unlawful unless a recognized exception to the warrant requirement applies.
high
legal
Constitutional protection limiting law enforcement searches and the basis for suppression motions.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia functions both as the federal prosecutor and, effectively, as the local district attorney for nearly all serious adult crimes in the District of Columbia.
high
legal
Describes the dual prosecutorial role of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C.
In the District of Columbia, federal grand juries are typically reserved for the consideration of more serious crimes.
high
legal
Describes customary use of federal grand juries in Washington, D.C.
The District of Columbia legal system includes local (city) grand juries that can be used to secure indictments in local prosecutions.
high
legal
Notes the existence of city grand juries within D.C.'s legal framework used for local indictments.