Overview
- U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb granted D.C.’s request to halt the deployment, concluding the Pentagon exceeded its authority in using the Guard for local policing.
- The order is stayed for 21 days, so troops remain in place while the Trump administration pursues an appeal.
- D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, who brought the suit, called the deployment a dangerous precedent, while the White House argued the operation is lawful and effective.
- Roughly 2,000 to 2,300 Guard members have patrolled Washington since August under the administration’s “crime emergency,” including personnel from multiple states.
- In related litigation, the Ninth Circuit kept Oregon Guard forces federalized even as Northern Command ordered half to demobilize via Fort Hood, with Oregon estimating $16 million in costs and higher courts weighing cases in other cities.