The last time that the District saw a substantial victory in its fight for voting rights, self-determination and statehood was 1973, when the city was given limited Home Rule. Three protesters are hoping that the next big victory comes much more quickly -- because they'll be fasting until the District gets it. more ›

A proposal by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) to allow residents of other states with conceal carry permits to similarly carry concealed weapons in the District failed today in a surprising 24-3-1 vote, with a large number of Republicans siding with Democrats in opposition. more ›

The last time we checked in with Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), he was proposing a 535-person exemption to the District's prohibition on concealed guns so that legislators could protect themselves from criminals and crazed constituents. Needless to say, that didn't fly. But Gohmert is at it again, this time trying to impose a concealed carry law upon the city. more ›

Frustrated by the way the federal government treats the District of Columbia, and wondering what the Obama Administration is doing about it? Well, here's your chance to ask -- Michael Blake, White House Director of African American & Minority Business Outreach in the Office of Public Engagement, will appear at a forum on Wednesday night at All Souls Church in Ward 1 where residents can "voice [their] concerns to the White House directly and have [their] questions answered." more ›

It might be Christmas Eve, but that doesn't mean it isn't a notable day for D.C. government -- on this day in 1973, the Congress approved the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which enforced the District Charter, provided the city an elected mayor and Council, established several positions and agencies like the Chief Financial Officer, the Board of Elections and the Board of Education, and also outlined how the city should operate on a basic level. Of course, the Act also reaffirmed Congress' tight grip over the District's laws and budgets, making it pretty clear that the city's government simply exists because Congress lets us have one -- a standing that the District has never been able to shake. If you're following city affairs and you haven't actually sat down to read this thing, it's definitely an informative read. more ›

On rolls the train towards more complete autonomy for the District! more ›

Some breaking news to pass along this morning before we even get our first cup of coffee: Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, the longest-tenured member of Congress, died early this morning at Inova Fairfax Hospital. He was 92. No formal cause of death was given, though Byrd had been hospitalized last week with what was believed to be heat exhaustion. Byrd had served in the Senate since January 3, 1959, and is one of the more decorated legislators in that body's history -- his vitae includes two stints as the Majority Leader and he chaired the powerful Appropriations Committee. Byrd overcame an association with the Ku Klux Klan early in his life to rise to prominence in Washington; he holds several unique distinctions, like being the only member of Congress to put himself through law school while serving a term, as he did at American University while he was serving in the House of Representatives between 1953 and 1959. more ›

In just his first term in Congress, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Ut.) has already made a career out of trying to legislate for the District. So much so, in fact, that the freshman has risen to the level of ranking Republican member on the House subcommittee charged with overseeing the city's laws and budget. Needless to say, plenty of D.C. voting rights advocates would love to see him gone, and now some are stepping up to try and make that happen. more ›

With plans to re-introduce legislation that would grant the District a voting seat in the House set for this Thursday, House Democratic Leaders, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and various D.C. voting rights advocates are facing increasing dissent from within over an amendment that would scrap the city's gun laws. more ›

It's a strange compliment, but we'll take it. more ›

The D.C. Council's Special Committee on Statehood and Self-Determination meets today for the first time in 2010, so if you want in on its plans for the year, drop on by Room 120 of the Wilson Building starting at 4 p.m. The committee, which is chaired by Council member Michael A. Brown (I-At Large), was formed last year as a way to better focus council efforts in the fight for D.C. voting rights, self-determination and statehood. Today it will be discussing plans for the coming year, including a possible "National Statehood Day" on April 16, the District's Emancipation Day. Everyone is free to attend and offer their hopefully constructive opinions on how best to move forward in the ever-long fight for enfranchisement for District residents. more ›

Bishop Harry Jackson is pretty much everywhere when it comes to fighting marriage equality in the District. If he's not filing (unsuccessful) legal challenges the city for turning down one of his requests for a vote on the definition of marriage, he's submitting another request for another vote. If he's not hosting a "National Marriage Summit" on the Hill, he's penning a letter to Congress outlining the reasons it should force the city to put same-sex marriage on the ballot. more ›

Via the Salt Lake Tribune, the AP is reporting that Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Ut.) is planning on introducing legislation that would put same-sex marriage on the D.C. ballot. This isn't much of a surprise. Chaffetz has long warned that he'd try just about anything to head off same-sex marriage in the District, while also admitting that his chances for success were slim. more ›

In Monday's Go Home Already, we linked to a D.C. Wire story that was based on a press release from Eleanor Holmes Norton's office touting today's start of a 30-legislative day countdown on congressional intervention into D.C.'s same-sex marriage law. But in a subsequent correction to that release, Norton's office now says the countdown actually began on Jan. 5, because the Senate held a pro forma session that day, and continued on Monday, when the House held a pro forma session. In other words, today is actually Day 3 of the 30-day countdown. more ›

It's January, and for President Barack Obama, that means getting ready for his first official State of the Union address. With the large number issues that kept him busy in 2009 and the many more that loom in 2010, he's by no means short on subject-matter to include in the speech. more ›

With today's same sex marriage victory, national media are now focusing on how this hot-button issue will play out in our city. Not only does the District represent a success story in the fight for marriage equality, but it joins only a handful of states that have legalized the practice through legislative means. more ›

While the D.C. Council waits to vote a second time on legalizing same-sex marriage in the District, one local official is taking it upon himself to try and rally the opposition on Capitol Hill. more ›

Word coming down from the Hill is that the District's annual appropriations bill has made it through conference and will include provisions lifting long-standing prohibitions on spending city funds on medical marijuana, needle-exchange programs and abortion. more ›

The fight for D.C. voting rights has always been two-fold. On one front, the city has demanded representation in Congress, while on the other it has fought for greater autonomy in local budgetary and legislative matters. While the struggle for congressional representation often gets more press, tomorrow a hearing on Capitol Hill will focus on how better to allow the city to make decisions for itself. more ›

Legislation legalizing same-sex marriage in the District is going to pass, and no one is more aware of that fact than its opponents. Seeing that they've got little chance of swinging any votes on the D.C. Council, they've instead announced an offensive that will include pushing Congress to stop the legislation from taking effect and using the courts to enforce the federal Defense of Marriage Act on the city. more ›

We thought that it would be close to impossible to dethrone Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.) as the District's King of Hearts, for having said the scummiest thing related to D.C.'s non-voting status in Congress that we had ever heard. But ladies and gentlemen, we were wrong. Meet the new King: Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska). more ›

Legislation revising the District's gun regulations passed the House today in a 266-152 vote. From the AP:

The bill, sponsored by Mississippi freshman Democrat Travis Childers, repeals the District's semiautomatic handgun ban and overturns D.C. law requiring that firearms kept in the home be locked up and inoperable. It allows D.C. residents to purchase guns from federally licensed dealers in Maryland and Virginia and repeals what critics claimed were burdensome registration requirements.

They say that it's good to never give up, but would someone send Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) a memo telling him that sometimes it's cool to throw in the towel? more ›

Hilda Mason, 91, who served more than 20 years on the D.C. Council, died yesterday at Washington Hospital Center. more ›

Remember those billboards that popped up in the 1980s that counted up the national debt, dollar by dollar? Pretty scary, huh? Well, District voting rights activists want something similar for their cause. Today the D.C. Council held a hearing on legislation that would allow the city to place two large LED billboards -- one outside the John A. Wilson Building and the other outside the new Washington Nationals stadium -- that would display the amount... more ›

Marc Fisher: As the Senate gets ready to debate the District voting rights legislation, Fisher lists the dozen top reasons why senators from both parties should vote to enfranchise the city's residents. The more and more we look into it, the better the case looks. Let's hope the Senate agrees. Tom Knott: You know Knott's verbal insanity is in good form when the title of his weekly column is "It's Gathering of Eagles vs. nitwit... more ›

Interesting story in today's Examiner, which tells the story of Logan Circle resident and dog owner Daniel Greenberg. Greenberg likes to let his dog off its leash inside Logan Circle, even though the practice is against city code. He was caught with his dog off-leash by an MPD officer back in May, and was actually arrested on criminal charges -- even though the D.C. Council has passed legislation that makes having a dog off its... more ›

>> In case you missed this story in the Washington Post this morning, it seems another one of D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton's favorite long-term projects, expanding the District's Home Rule Charter to give the District budget and legislative autonomy, is actually getting some play up on the Hill. We can't even count how many times she's introduced bills like the two currently before the House, but it's been at least 15 years since Congress... more ›