WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to end its months-long administration. National Guard deployment To help the police of the nation’s capital.
U.S. District Judge Gia Cobb concluded that President Donald Trump’s military occupation of Washington, D.C., unlawfully usurped the authority of local authorities to direct law enforcement in the area. However, she put the order on hold for 21 days to allow for an appeal.
Brian Schwalb, Attorney General of the District of Columbia filed a complaint and was sued Guard deployment. He asked the judge to bar the White House from sending in Guard troops without the mayor’s consent while the lawsuit progresses.
Cobb acknowledged that while the president has the authority to protect federal functions and property, he cannot unilaterally deploy the D.C. National Guard or call in troops from other states to help fight crime when necessary.
After the verdict, Schwalb called for the troops to be sent home. “Normalizing the use of the military for domestic law enforcement sets a dangerous precedent that allows presidents to ignore national independence and deploy military forces whenever and wherever they want without checking,” Schwalb said.
However, the White House supported the deployment.
“President Trump is acting fully within his legal authority to deploy the National Guard to Washington, D.C., to protect federal property and assist law enforcement with certain missions,” Press Secretary Abigail Jackson said in a statement. “This lawsuit is just another attempt to undermine the President’s highly successful campaign to stop violent crime in D.C., to the detriment of D.C. residents.”
People talk with the National Guard on the Ellipse with the White House in the background, October 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File)
In August, President Donald Trump issued an executive order declaring a criminal emergency in Washington. Within a month, more than 2,300 National Guard troops from eight states and districts were patrolling the city under the direction of the Secretary of the Army. President Trump also sent hundreds of federal agents to assist with patrols.
It’s unclear how long the deployment will last, but attorneys in Schwalb’s office said the Guard will likely remain in the city until at least next summer.
“If these occupations are allowed, our constitutional democracy will never be the same.” they wrote.
Government lawyers said Congress gave the president authority to control the activities of the D.C. National Guard. “There is no prudent reason to issue an injunction to lift this arrangement now, especially since the district’s claims are without merit,” the Justice Department said. written by a lawyer.
President Trump’s Guard deployment led to challenges in other courts, including in Portland, Chicago and Los Angeles. The Supreme Court is also considering the administration’s emergency appeal to allow the deployment of the National Guard to the Chicago area to help with the immigration crackdown. A lower court blocked the deployment indefinitely.
In Washington, the Trump administration appointed Guard troops as special agents of the U.S. Marshals Service. Mr. Schwalb’s office said that out-of-state forces are conducting unacceptable operations as federal military police in D.C., inflaming tensions with residents and diverting local police resources.
“Every day this lawless intrusion continues, the District suffers damage to its sovereignty to freely enforce local law,” lawyers for his office wrote.
