Unanimous ruling stays lower court’s order, citing presidential authority over federal district security.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled unanimously on Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C. can continue, overruling a lower court’s decision.
The three-judge panel determined that Trump may prevail in his argument that the president holds “a unique power“ to mobilize the National Guard in the nation’s capital, which is a federal district, according to The Associated Press.
Background and Legal Challenge
The ruling stays a November 20 order by U.S. District Court Judge Jia Cobb, who had ruled that the deployment illegally intruded on local officials’ authority to direct law enforcement in D.C.. Trump deployed the National Guard in August as part of a crime crackdown in the district.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit challenging the deployment, arguing that the White House should not deploy Guardsmen without the mayor’s consent. Schwalb’s office called the appeals court’s stay a “preliminary ruling“ that does not resolve the merits of the case.
“We look forward to continuing our case in both the district and appellate courts,” a spokesperson for Schwalb’s office said.
Next Steps
The legal dispute will proceed in both the district and appellate courts, where the constitutional and statutory authority of the president to deploy the National Guard in D.C. will be further examined. The appeals court’s decision allows the deployment to continue pending further review.
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