No. The District of Columbia is a separate federal district, not part of Maryland or any state. Its land was permanently ceded by Maryland (and originally a portion from Virginia) in 1790. Maryland has no legal authority over DC. They share a border and history, nothing more.
In brief
No. The District of Columbia is a separate federal district, not part of Maryland or any U.S. state. Its land was permanently ceded by Maryland (and originally a small portion from Virginia) to the federal government in 1790. Maryland has zero legal authority over DC today. They share a border and a complicated origin story, nothing more.
Where the confusion comes from
Look at a map and the confusion makes sense. Washington, DC is bordered by Maryland to the north, east, and west, and by Virginia to the south across the Potomac River. The District is physically surrounded by Maryland on three sides. But geography is not jurisdiction.
Maryland's connection to DC is historical, not administrative. The land that now forms Washington DC originally belonged to Maryland, but it was permanently ceded to the federal government. Maryland does not govern DC, and DC is not subject to Maryland state laws.
How DC got its land in 1790
The 1790 Residence Act, passed by Congress, authorized the establishment of the District of Columbia as the seat of the United States government on a site along the Potomac River from land ceded by the states of Maryland and Virginia. The original plan called for a diamond-shaped, 100-square-mile block. That 100-square-mile block was made up of 69 square miles of territory from Maryland and another 31 square miles from Virginia.
The Virginia slice did not last. That land was returned to Virginia in 1847. So modern-day Washington, DC consists solely of the land originally provided by Maryland, while the Potomac River acts as the natural border between the District and Virginia.
What about the actual organizing law? The District was organized by the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, which placed it under the control of Congress. Once the land became the federal district, it no longer functioned as part of Maryland. The District has its own legal identity.
DC's legal status: a federal district, not a state
DC's creation comes directly from the U.S. Constitution, which provides that the district, "not exceeding 10 Miles square," would "become the Seat of the Government of the United States." That constitutional design is the reason DC is not, and has never been, a state.
The Washington DC legal status was architected by the Founding Fathers to ensure that the seat of power remained independent from the political pressures of any individual state. In practice, that means Congress holds ultimate authority. Congress reviews all legislation passed by the DC council before it can become law and retains authority over the District's budget.
DC has its own government, with limits
DC residents do elect their own leaders. On Christmas Eve in 1973, President Richard Nixon signed the DC Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, better known as the Home Rule Act. That federal law allowed DC residents to elect their own Council and mayor for the first time in nearly a century.
The first elected mayor and council took office on January 2, 1975. But home rule is not the same as statehood. The charter mandates that the President appoint District judges with Senate approval, but no provision exists granting voting representation in the U.S. Congress.
Voting rights: presidential yes, congressional no
DC residents could not vote for president until 1961. Ratified in 1961, the 23rd Amendment gave DC residents the legal right to vote for President and Vice President for the first time in the district's history, awarding DC electors equal to the least populous state, currently three.
Congress is a different story. DC residents can vote for president but not for voting members of Congress. In 1970, Congress granted the District of Columbia a non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives. DC still has no senators and no voting House member. DC license plates carry the phrase "Taxation Without Representation" for exactly that reason.
The retrocession question
The District of Columbia has been separate from Maryland and Virginia for over 200 years. Could that change? District of Columbia retrocession refers to the act of returning to Virginia the land from the District of Columbia that Virginia had previously ceded, and proposals exist to do the same with the land Maryland ceded. Those proposals come up periodically in statehood debates, but Congress has never acted on them. DC's current population sits at roughly 700,000 people who remain without a vote in Congress while paying full federal taxes.
WDCM Editorial is the byline on news and feature stories produced through Washington DC Magazine's editorial process — AI-assisted research, reviewed and approved by Editor-in-Chief Rod Wright.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
