Overview

• District Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed suit calling the Washington deployment an illegal military occupation, noting more than 1,000 Guard troops are in the city and that orders for D.C. Guard members have been extended through December.
• The complaint argues the operation violates the Posse Comitatus principle and D.C.’s Home Rule Act, including the asserted federal control over out‑of‑state Guard units patrolling the capital.
• Two days earlier, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled Trump’s June deployment to Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act, finding the order directed domestic military law enforcement, though he did not require remaining troops to leave.
• The White House says protecting federal assets and assisting law enforcement is within presidential authority and credits the D.C. surge with recent crime declines, a claim critics dispute by pointing to downward trends predating the deployment.
• Chicago prepares for potential federal action as Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson vow immediate court challenges, Trump sends mixed signals on timing, Vice President JD Vance says there are no immediate plans, and ICE staging at Naval Station Great Lakes through Sept. 30 proceeds as a separate operation.