On August 11, President Donald Trump declared a “crime emergency” for the District of Columbia, and five days later Gov. Patrick Morrisey deployed members of the West Virginia National Guard for support.

The president’s emergency declaration, which placed the Metropolitan Police Department under federal direction, expired after 30 days, Sept. 10. Yet the West Virginia National Guard deployment remains active and could be in effect through the end of November or beyond.

A court case in Kanawha County has challenged the governor’s power to deploy the West Virginia National Guard to the streets of America’s capital. Judge Richard Lindsay heard about an hour of argument Oct. 24 and then stopped because he wants to more thoroughly explore a central question.

As Lindsay phrased it before tell

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