Court permits ongoing deployment of National Guard in US capital

A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked a lower court order that required National Guard forces to leave Washington, D.C. next week. Last month, District Court Judge Jia Cobb had ruled that President Donald Trump's deployment of thousands of National Guard troops in the capital was illegal. She had set a December 11 deadline to end the deployment but allowed a 21-day delay to give the administration time to appeal.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted the Trump administrations request to pause the district court's order while the case is reviewed. In its brief statement, the panel emphasized that the stay "should not be interpreted as a decision on the cases merits."

President Trump has sent National Guard troops to Democratic-led cities including Washington, Los Angeles, and Memphis to address crime and enforce measures against undocumented migrants. Local officials in Los Angeles and Memphis have opposed the deployments, calling them unnecessary. In Washington, the citys limited autonomy has resulted in more cooperation with the White House.

Other federal courts have temporarily halted troop deployments in Chicago and Portland, with the Supreme Court expected to ultimately decide on the legality of these actions. In August, Trump ordered over 2,000 National Guard members to patrol Washington, citing high crime rates and poor conditions in the city. In response, Washingtons attorney general, Brian Schwalb, filed a lawsuit in September to end the deployment, arguing that the administration acted illegally by using the National Guard for domestic crime control without a formal request from local authorities.

California also challenged Trumps use of the National Guard earlier this year after troops were sent to Los Angeles to suppress protests related to immigration enforcement. While a district court initially ruled the deployment unlawful, an appeals court allowed it to continue. Trump has denied that his anti-crime and immigration efforts target cities governed by political opponents. He recently announced plans to send additional troops to New Orleans and bolstered National Guard presence in Washington following a shooting incident involving two guardsmen downtown.

Author: Aiden Foster