Judge rules Trump’s DC troop deployment illegal … halting National Guard presence

The ongoing National Guard deployment in Washington, DC is illegal, a district judge ruled on Thursday in a continuation of the war between Donald Trump and the judicial system.

Troops were first deployed to the nation’s capital on August 11, 2025 as the president sought to crackdown on rising violent crime in the District of Columbia.

Now more than three months later, the issue is still being fought in the courts.

Judge Jia Michelle Cobb of the District Court for DC ruled that the Trump administration violated DC’s Home Rule Act by deploying units for non-military crime deterrence operations.

Her ruling handed down on Thursday placed a 21 day stay on the order, allowing for continued troop presence until December 11, 2025. Meaning if enforced, troops could be home with 14 days left until Christmas.

This period also allows for President Trump to appeal the decision.

The White House reiterated when reached by the Daily Mail for comment that ‘Trump is well within his lawful authority to deploy the National Guard in Washington D.C. to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement with specific tasks.’

‘This lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt — at the detriment of DC residents — to undermine the President’s highly successful operations to stop violent crime in DC,’ said White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson in a statement.

A district judge ruled on Thursday, November 20, 2025 that Trump can no longer keep National Guard troops in Washington DC for crime-deterrence operations

Trump signed an executive order in August declaring a crime emergency in Washington, DC that ordered thousands of National Guard troops from eight states and the District to deploy and patrol the city’s streets

Cobb wrote in her decision that Trump’s takeover in DC illegally intrudes on local officials’ authority to direct law enforcement activity and said it violated the Constitution.

She said the president cannot call up the National Guard into DC or any other state for ‘whatever reason [he] sees fit.’

DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued to challenge the Guard deployments and asked for the White House to be barred from deploying troops to the District without the mayor’s consent.

Trump declared via executive order in August a crime emergency in Washington, DC.

He sent 2,300 National Guard troops from eight different states and DC to patrol the streets under the command of the Secretary of the Army.

He also deployed hundreds of federal agencies from a handful of agencies – FBI, ATF, DEA, HSI – to assist with the 24/7 patrols.

But DC wasn’t the only target. Other cities faced Trump’s takeover dreams – but only one was successful so far.

Troops are still in Memphis, Tennessee, but courts in Portland, Oregon and Chicago, Illinois were able to block long-term deployments in their respective cities.

When entering cold months, military officials told leaders to prepare for ‘winterization’ for their troops – signaling there is no end in sight for the deployment