House Democrats united to defend Washington D.C.'s right to self-government last month, voting against a Republican-led House measure to overturn the District's controversial crime law revisions. The 173 Democrats who opposed the measure said their decision had nothing to do with their positions on crime, but rather the District's ability to self-govern. "The District of Columbia should have the same rights as any other state in the union," said Rep. Steven Horsford, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. "It is a fundamental right of the people of the District of Columbia to have self-governance and to be able to make their own decisions about their criminal justice system." The District's crime law revisions, which went into effect in July, included decriminalizing some minor offenses, such as public drinking, possession of marijuana, and loitering. The revisions also eliminated mandatory minimum sentences for some drug offenses. The Republican-led House measure sought to overturn the revisions and reinstate the old criminal code. But Democrats argued that the District should be allowed to decide its own laws. "The District of Columbia is not a colony," said Democratic Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton. "It is a vibrant democracy with a duly elected mayor and city council that should be able to make its own decisions about its criminal justice system." The measure was ultimately defeated, with only one Democrat voting in favor and one Republican voting against. Despite the victory, some Democrats said they wished the White House had done a better job communicating with them on the issue. "We were disappointed that the White House did not reach out to us ahead of time," said Rep. Horsford. "We need to be able to work together on issues like this, and we hope the White House will take this into consideration moving forward."