Washington, D.C., filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday (September 4) against US President Donald Trump’s administration over the deployment of National Guard troops in the capital, a move that could escalate tensions between the Republican president and the city’s Democratic leaders.
The lawsuit, filed by D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, seeks a court order blocking the deployment. It argues that sending armed soldiers to police the city is unconstitutional and violates multiple federal laws.
“Armed soldiers should not be policing American citizens on American soil,” Schwalb said in an X post. “The forced military occupation of the District of Columbia violates our local autonomy and basic freedoms. It must end.”
Last month, Trump deployed National Guard troops to Washington, claiming they would “re-establish law, order, and public safety.” The President also placed the city’s Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson defended the action, saying, “The president was within his lawful authority to deploy troops to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement. This lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt — at the detriment of D.C. residents and visitors — to undermine the President’s highly successful operations to stop violent crime in D.C.”
In June, Trump similarly took federal control of California’s National Guard and deployed troops to Los Angeles over objections from Governor Gavin Newsom. A federal judge in California ruled on September 2 that using troops in domestic operations, such as immigration and drug enforcement, was illegal.
Trump has also threatened to extend his federal crackdown to other Democratic-led cities, including Chicago, framing the deployments as urgent measures against crime despite declining homicide and burglary rates in those cities.
Thursday’s lawsuit contends that deploying National Guard units without Mayor Muriel Bowser’s consent violates the Home Rule Act, which grants D.C. local self-governance. The complaint also references the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts the use of the military for domestic law enforcement.
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