District of Columbia home rule

Politics of District of Columbia
The District of Columbia is a unique federal district of the U.S.
Governance Government Home rule Mayor Secretary United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Attorney General for the District of Columbia District of Columbia Court of Appeals (high court) Superior Court of the District of Columbia (trial court) Council (legislative body) Advisory Neighborhood Commission
Representation Voting rights Initiatives and referendums Congressional representation Shadow representation
Elections Elections Political party strength
Politics of the United States Politics portal
v t e

District of Columbia home rule is the District of Columbia residents' ability to govern their local affairs. The District is the federal capital; as such, the Constitution grants the United States Congress exclusive jurisdiction over the District in "all cases whatsoever".

Before 1874 and since 1973, Congress has allowed certain powers of government to be carried out by locally elected officials. However, Congress maintains the power to overturn local laws and exercises greater oversight of the district than exists for any U.S. state. Furthermore, the District's elected government exists under the grace of Congress and could theoretically be revoked at any time.

A separate yet related controversy is the District's lack of voting representation in Congress. The district's unique status creates a situation where District of Columbia residents have neither complete control over their local government nor voting representation in the body with complete control.

In 2015, Washington, D.C. became a member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization.^[1]