ACLU-WV Sues to Halt National Guard Deployment to Washington DC

The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia and West Virginia Citizen Action Group have filed a lawsuit seeking to block Governor Patrick Morrisey's deployment of 300 to 400 West Virginia National Guard members to Washington, D.C. The lawsuit argues that the deployment exceeds Morrisey's constitutional and statutory authority, as West Virginia law permits out-of-state Guard deployments only under specific, limited circumstances that do not apply here. The groups contend the deployment serves as a political stunt supporting President Donald Trump's federal takeover of D.C. law enforcement amid reports that violent crime in the city is at a 30-year low and that local officials did not request this aid. Legal director Aubrey Sparks emphasized that the Guard’s essential services should not be diverted for what is described as a manufactured crisis and an unprecedented misuse of power. The case was filed in Kanawha County Circuit Court and assigned to Judge Richard Lindsay, seeking a permanent injunction to prohibit the deployment and restore the Guard’s role in serving West Virginia communities. Advocates argue the deployment is an unlawful political act rather than a genuine emergency response.