A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to cease its deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C. This decision comes after months of the Guard assisting local law enforcement in the capital. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb ruled that President Donald Trump’s actions violate the Constitution and encroach on the authority of local officials to manage law enforcement in the district.

The judge's order is temporarily on hold for 21 days to allow for an appeal. District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb initiated the lawsuit, seeking to prevent the White House from deploying Guard troops without the mayor's approval. Cobb determined that while the president has the authority to protect federal functions, he cannot unilaterally deploy the D.C. National Guard for crime control.

In August, Trump declared a crime emergency in Washington, leading to the deployment of over 2,300 National Guard troops from eight states. These troops were patrolling the city under the command of the Secretary of the Army, alongside hundreds of federal agents. Schwalb's office indicated that the Guard troops might remain in the city until at least next summer.

Schwalb expressed concern about the implications of military presence in local law enforcement. He stated, "Normalizing the use of military troops for domestic law enforcement sets a dangerous precedent, where the President can disregard states’ independence and deploy troops wherever and whenever he wants."

The White House defended the deployment, asserting that Trump is acting within his legal authority to protect federal assets and assist local law enforcement. Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson described the lawsuit as an attempt to undermine the administration's efforts to combat violent crime in the district.

The legal battle over the National Guard's role in Washington is part of a broader pattern of court challenges related to Trump's military deployments in various cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland. In Washington, the administration has designated the Guard troops as special U.S. Marshal Service deputies. Schwalb's office argues that out-of-state troops are improperly functioning as a federal military police force, which exacerbates tensions with local residents and diverts resources from local police.

"Every day that this lawless incursion continues, the District suffers harm to its sovereign authority to conduct local law enforcement as it chooses," Schwalb's attorneys stated. The Justice Department contends that Congress has granted the president control over the D.C. National Guard's operations and criticized Schwalb's lawsuit as lacking merit.

As the legal proceedings unfold, the future of the National Guard's presence in Washington remains uncertain, with implications for local governance and law enforcement authority.