Washington: A federal judge on Thursday issued a temporary but significant legal setback to the Trump administration, moving to halt the deployment of National Guard troops for law enforcement duties in Washington, D.C., without the explicit approval of the city’s mayor.
The ruling marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing power struggle between the White House and local leaders over the domestic use of the military.U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, granted a temporary injunction in a lawsuit brought by the District of Columbia.
Judge Cobb found that the administration had “overstepped its authority” by using the D.C. National Guard for “non-military, crime-deterrence missions” without requests from the city’s civilian leadership.
However, in a crucial caveat, the judge has paused her own ruling until December 11 to allow the administration time to appeal the decision.The lawsuit was filed on September 4 by D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, a Democrat, who argued that President Trump’s August 11 deployment order unlawfully usurped the city’s policing authority.
