A federal judge ruled Thursday that President Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in DC is unlawful. The 2,000 troops have been a frequent site in town since August, when Trump ordered them here as part of a crackdown on crime in the District inspired by an assault on a former staffer for Elon Musk’s DOGE project. Since then they’ve mostly stood around, taking selfies and walks in packs, and participating in beautification activities.
The suit was filed by DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb on behalf of the District of Columbia and named Trump and other administration officials. US District Judge Jia Cobb agreed with the District, saying the deployment, which includes troops from the DC National Guard and guard units from other states, exceeds the Department of Defense’s authority to do so “for non-military, crime-deterrence missions in the absence of a request from the city’s civil authorities” and that the deployment of out-of state troops caused the District “irreparable harm.”
As always in DC, things are complicated. Since the District isn’t a state, Trump is the DC Guard’s commander. But nothing in the DC Code or the Constitution, she wrote, allows him to deploy troops in the circumstances he cited.
Cobb’s ruling isn’t final. She stayed it until December 11 to give the administration time to appeal. It has not yet said whether it plans to do so.
Here’s the ruling:
DC v Trump National Guard by Washingtonian Magazine
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
