In this past year, our neighbors and people all around the country have faced unprecedented attacks on their civil rights. Thanks to the leadership of Kaitlin Banner, the Deputy Legal Director at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (WLC), they did not need to take on that battle alone. 

Our civil legal services have been on the front lines this past year, and Kaitlin is no exception. Her leadership has brought WLC to the forefront to protect our immigrant neighbors, to defend DC autonomy, and to safeguard civil rights protections for all. 

In 2025, the President waged a full scale assault against all immigrant communities. WLC has gone to court to preserve vital legal protections such as the Temporary Protected Status, unlawfully terminated by the Department of Homeland Security. Kaitlin has also led the organization to protect houses of worship that have been subjected to surveillance and immigration arrests. Their work also extends to adaptive litigation strategy against attacks on birthright citizenship. By protecting these tools, Kaitlin and WLC are ensuring immigrant communities and the places of worship in them are safe to lead their daily lives. 

As the Nation’s Capitol, DC is in a unique position that leaves it vulnerable to the federal government without the same representation as the rest of the nation. That is why our city needs strong advocates like Kaitlin that deftly move through the vast number of issues that arise. In this year alone, Kaitlin has led the defense of DC autonomy as WLC pushes back against Immigration Customs Enforcement and federal law enforcement arresting DC residents without warrants or probable cause. WLC has also filed an amicus brief supporting DC’s lawsuit challenging the President’s decision to deploy the National Guard in the city because military forces are unaccountable to DC communities, not trained for domestic policing of civilians, and make DC less safe. 

Beyond the unprecedented year we’ve had, WLC has maintained their commitment to progress the rights of all people. From advancing disability rights for DC residents and communities to securing fair housing for returning citizens, low-income renters, immigrants families, and people with disabilities – WLC advances cutting-edge litigation strategies that ensure the most vulnerable populations in our communities have access to basic resources that should be available to all. 

Even as WLC fights the issues in the headlines, Kaitlin’s leadership ensures advancement on the issues that impact the daily lives of all people. This includes efforts to oppose restoration of Confederate names in Virginia Public Schools, ongoing litigation on behalf of construction and restaurant workers fighting for their rights, protecting the special education services of students with disabilities at the DC Jail high school, and a long pursued multi-pronged strategy to advance criminal legal system reform in DC especially around the DC Gang Database.

We are proud to present Kaitlin Banner with the 2025 Legal Services Award at the Justice Impact Awards on Thursday, December 4, 2025. You can join us in celebrating the incredible efforts of Kaitlin and the communities she’s represented – register today!