Judge orders Trump administration to end National Guard deployment in DC

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to end the deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., ruling that the military takeover illegally infringes on local officials' authority. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb placed a 21-day hold on the order to allow for an appeal. The District of Columbia's Attorney General, Brian Schwalb, had sued to challenge the deployments, seeking to prevent the White House from deploying Guard troops without the mayor's consent. Judge Cobb stated that while the president can protect federal property, he cannot unilaterally deploy the D.C. National Guard for crime control or bring in troops from other states. Schwalb hailed the ruling, warning against normalizing military use for domestic law enforcement. The White House defended the deployment, asserting the president's lawful authority to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement, and accused the lawsuit of undermining efforts to stop violent crime. The deployment followed an executive order by President Trump declaring a crime emergency in August, which led to over 2,300 National Guard troops and federal agents patrolling the city. Similar deployments to other cities have faced legal challenges, with mixed outcomes. The administration has argued that Congress empowered the president to control the D.C. National Guard's operations. Schwalb's office contended that out-of-state troops operating as federal military police in D.C. inflame tensions and divert local resources, harming the District's sovereign authority.