Washington DC Sues Trump Over National Guard Deployment

Washington, D.C. has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's administration over the deployment of more than 2,000 National Guard troops to the city, arguing that the action violates the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, the Posse Comitatus Act, and local autonomy. Attorney General Brian Schwalb contends that deploying military forces for law enforcement without consent from local officials is unlawful and amounts to a forced military occupation that threatens civil liberties and the city's economy. The Trump administration maintains it acted within its lawful authority to curb violent crime, despite the city’s crime rates reportedly declining. This legal challenge follows a similar federal court ruling that found the President's deployment of troops to Los Angeles illegal, barring the Pentagon from certain law enforcement activities without Congressional approval. The conflict also arises amid reported efforts by House Republicans to increase federal control over D.C., including proposals to make the elected attorney general a presidential appointee and to impose harsher crime legislation. Meanwhile, Trump has threatened to extend National Guard deployments to other Democratic-led cities like Chicago and Baltimore as part of a broader federal crackdown on crime.