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Federal Judge Rules Trump’s D.C. National Guard Deployment Illegal

The court paused its order for three weeks to permit an appeal, setting Dec. 11 as the earliest end date.

Overview

  • Judge Jia Cobb ordered the deployment terminated after finding the administration exceeded statutory authority.
  • The decision said Washington’s Guard could not be activated without an explicit local request and barred using out-of-state units for policing.
  • Roughly 2,300 Guard members remain in the city under a plan that envisions their presence through late February 2026.
  • Media reports put operating costs at about $1 million per day as the city’s lawsuit, led by Attorney General Brian Schwalb, proceeds.
  • Trump initiated the mission in August citing rising crime, a rationale not supported by available statistics, and similar deployments in other cities have drawn adverse rulings.