Judge orders Trump end National Guard deployment in Washington DC
Federal judge rules Trump’s use of troops is likely unlawful, but the White House stands by the deployment
A US federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to end its months-long deployment of National Guard troops to help police the nation’s capital.
US District Judge Jia Cobb concluded that President Donald Trump’s military takeover in Washington DC illegally intrudes on local officials’ authority to direct law enforcement in the district. She put her order on hold for 21 days to allow for an appeal, however.
District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued to challenge the Guard deployments. He asked the judge to bar the White House from deploying Guard troops without the mayor’s consent while the lawsuit plays out.
Cobb found that while the president does have authority to protect federal functioning and property, he cannot unilaterally deploy the DC National Guard to help with crime control as he sees fit or call in troops from other states.
After her ruling, Schwalb called for troops to be sent home. “Normalising the use of military troops for domestic law enforcement sets a dangerous precedent, where the president can disregard states’ independence and deploy troops wherever and whenever he wants - with no check on his military power,” Schwalb said.
The White House, though, stood by the deployment.
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