In a significant legal development, a federal appeals court has handed former President Donald Trump a temporary victory in his contentious effort to maintain a National Guard presence in Washington DC. The ruling pauses a lower court's order that would have forced the withdrawal of troops from the capital.
Court Order Halts Troop Withdrawal Deadline
On Thursday, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a written order lifting an injunction that mandated the removal of National Guard soldiers by 11 December 2025. This decision, while not a final judgement on the case's merits, allows the deployment initiated by Trump in the summer to continue for now.
The legal challenge was brought by DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb, a Democrat, who sued the Trump administration on 4 September. Schwalb's lawsuit accuses the president of unlawfully seizing control of local law enforcement and violating statutes that prohibit federal troops from performing domestic policing duties.
Deployment Intensified After Guard Shooting
The troop presence, which began in August with over 2,000 soldiers, was part of Trump's wider crackdown on crime and immigration in Democrat-led cities. The contingent includes personnel from the District of Columbia itself, as well as from Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia, and Alabama.
The situation escalated following a 26 November shooting near the White House that targeted two members of the West Virginia National Guard. One of the service members later died from her injuries. In response, Trump ordered an additional 500 troops to the capital, rather than beginning a drawdown. A 29-year-old Afghan national is facing charges for the attack, which officials described as "targeted."
Broader Legal and Political Conflict
The DC circuit's intervention comes after US District Judge Jia Cobb ruled on 20 November that the deployment was likely unlawful. She had temporarily blocked it but paused her ruling for three weeks to allow for an appeal.
This case is part of a wider national conflict. The Trump administration has also moved to deploy National Guard units in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland, Oregon, citing lawlessness linked to protests against his immigration policies. Democratic leaders in those cities have filed similar lawsuits, arguing the deployments are politically motivated shows of force.
Trial courts have generally ruled against the troop deployments. The legality of Trump's actions is expected to be ultimately decided by the US Supreme Court, which is soon due to weigh in on a related case concerning Chicago, with implications for other jurisdictions.
