A judge on Monday allowed the continued deployment of more than 300 West Virginia National Guard members to the nation’s capital.

Kanawha County Circuit Judge Richard D. Lindsay made the ruling after hearing arguments in a lawsuit by a civic organization.

Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey authorized the Guard’s deployment in August to support President Donald Trump’s crime-fighting efforts in Washington, D.C. The West Virginia Citizen Action Group then filed a lawsuit claiming Morrisey exceeded his authority.

Under state law, the group argued, the governor could deploy the National Guard out of state only for certain purposes, such as responding to a natural disaster or another state’s emergency request.

Morrisey’s office has argued the deployment was authorized under federal law.

Lind

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