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Judge Rules D.C. National Guard Deployment Illegal, Pauses Withdrawal for Appeal

The court found the administration exceeded its authority by sending troops without a local request and for policing purposes.

Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb ordered the Washington deployment to end but stayed enforcement for three weeks, keeping it in place until December 11 to allow an appeal.
  • The ruling says the federal government unlawfully activated the D.C. unit and brought in out-of-state guards for non-military law enforcement.
  • Roughly 2,300 Guard members remain on duty in the capital, with media estimates putting costs near $1 million per day.
  • District Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued to block such deployments without city consent and warned of a dangerous precedent for domestic military use.
  • Similar federal court decisions have found deployments to Portland and Chicago unlawful, with further litigation and appeals continuing.