Federal Judge Orders Trump Administration to End National Guard Deployment in Washington, D.C.

A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to halt its months-long deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., ruling that the president overstepped his authority by taking control of local law enforcement operations.

US District Judge Jia Cobb found that President Donald Trump’s use of the National Guard in the capital “illegally intrudes” on the District’s authority to direct its own policing. The order is paused for 21 days to allow the administration time to appeal.

The ruling comes in response to a lawsuit filed by District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb, who sought to block the White House from deploying Guard units without the mayor’s approval while the case proceeds. Dozens of states weighed in on the lawsuit, with their positions breaking along partisan lines.

Cobb affirmed that while the president may act to protect federal property and functions, he cannot unilaterally deploy the D.C. National Guard—or bring in troops from other states—for general crime control purposes.

Following the decision, Schwalb urged the administration to withdraw the troops. “Normalizing the use of military troops for domestic law enforcement sets a dangerous precedent,” he said, warning that it would allow presidents to deploy forces “wherever and whenever” without limits.

The White House defended its actions. “President Trump is well within his lawful authority to deploy the National Guard in Washington, D.C., to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement with specific tasks,” spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, calling the lawsuit an effort to undermine “highly successful operations to stop violent crime.”

Trump declared a crime emergency in Washington in August and ordered a sweeping deployment: more than 2,300 National Guard troops from eight states and the District began patrolling the city under the command of the Army Secretary. Hundreds of federal agents were also sent to assist in policing.

The administration has carried out similar deployments elsewhere. A federal appeals court upheld the Guard deployment in Los Angeles, while courts in Portland, Oregon, and Chicago blocked troop deployments there. The Supreme Court is currently weighing an emergency request to permit the administration to deploy Guard units to the Chicago area as part of an immigration crackdown.

In Washington, the duration of the troop presence remains uncertain. Attorneys from Schwalb’s office said the Guard is likely to remain in the city through at least next summer if the deployments continue unchecked. “Our constitutional democracy will never be the same if these occupations are permitted to stand,” they argued.

Government lawyers countered that Congress explicitly gave the president authority over the D.C. National Guard. “There is no sensible reason for an injunction unwinding this arrangement now,” Justice Department attorneys wrote.

The administration has deputized Guard troops in the capital as special U.S. Marshals Service deputies — a move Schwalb’s office says amounts to using out-of-state soldiers as a federal military police force, escalating tensions with residents and draining local policing resources. “Every day that this lawless incursion continues, the District suffers harm to its sovereign authority,” they wrote.