A federal judge has issued a temporary order halting the National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C., a mission initiated to address crime. The judge declared the use of troops "unlawful."
Judicial Action and Context
U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, appointed by former President Joe Biden, issued the order on Thursday. This decision follows arguments by District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb, who contended that the deployment undermined the city's autonomy, created tension between residents and law enforcement, and negatively impacted the city's economy.
Judge Cobb's ruling states: "The Court finds that the District's exercise of sovereign powers within its jurisdiction is irreparably harmed by Defendants' actions in deploying the Guards."
The order is paused until December 11, allowing the Trump administration time to file an appeal.
This ruling represents another instance of judicial challenges against President Trump's deployments of troops in American cities. Previous legal actions include:
- A Tennessee state judge's temporary block on Guard forces in Memphis, activated by the Tennessee governor following a request from Trump.
- The Defense Department's order for troops to depart Chicago and Portland, Oregon, amid ongoing federal court challenges to those deployments.
Administration's Response
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson issued a statement asserting that President Trump acted within his authority to deploy the Guard to D.C. Jackson characterized the lawsuit as an attempt to undermine the President's operations aimed at reducing violent crime in the city.
Background of D.C. Deployment
President Trump initiated the deployment of hundreds of troops to Washington, D.C., in early August without the consent of the city's mayor. This action followed his declaration of a "crime emergency" in the city, a claim that local Democratic leaders have publicly refuted.
Since their deployment, National Guard personnel have been assigned tasks including patrols and civic beautification efforts, such as trash removal, mulch spreading, and tree pruning.
As of the prior Wednesday, the deployment in Washington, D.C., involved over 2,100 Guard forces. These personnel were drawn from the District of Columbia and several states, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia, and Alabama, according to data from the U.S. Army.