Overview
- A unanimous three-judge D.C. Circuit panel stayed U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb’s November 20 order that had directed the removal of thousands of Guard members.
- The stay allows the deployment to continue at least through the end of February as the appeals court considers the city’s challenge on the merits.
- Judge Patricia Millett wrote that withdrawing troops now would profoundly disrupt service members’ lives and hinder protection of federal functions and property.
- The ruling emphasized presidential authority in the federal district and said the District had not shown ongoing injury to its statutory interests.
- Parallel lawsuits are testing similar deployments elsewhere, and the D.C. presence has drawn added scrutiny after a recent shooting that left one Guard member dead and another critically injured.