Washington D.C.'s attorney general Brian Schwalb is suing the Trump administration over its deployment of the National Guard in the nation's capital, according to the Wall Street Journal. The move comes just two days after a federal judge in California ruled that the use of National Guard troops to support federal law enforcement in Los Angeles was illegal.
NEW: We are suing to block the unlawful deployment of National Guard troops to DC.
— AG Brian Schwalb (@DCAttorneyGen) September 4, 2025
Armed soldiers should not be policing American citizens on American soil.
The forced military occupation of the District of Columbia violates our local autonomy and basic freedoms. It must end.
DC Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb has filed a lawsuit to stop the federal government’s deployment of National Guard troops in the District. Nearly 2,300 National Guard troops were deployed, sparking concerns over DC's autonomy and public safety. The lawsuit challenges the… pic.twitter.com/ycHS1sgko9
— FOX 5 DC (@fox5dc) September 4, 2025
NEW: DC AG Brian Schwalb is suing the Trump administration, alleging the deployment of the National Guard in DC is illegal.
— Max Marcilla (@MaxJMarcilla) September 4, 2025
He says it "infringes on [DC's] sovereignty and right to self-governance." @DCNewsNow @thehill
Full lawsuit: https://t.co/AZaxVZvyCW pic.twitter.com/P4b5VLrOuS
The lawsuit alleges that the President violated the Posse Comitatus Act, a law enacted in 1878, which prohibits military forces from engaging in domestic law enforcement. It claims that the primary purpose of President Trump's activation of the National Guard was to address D.C.'s crime issue, with directives to patrol the city's streets, which Schwalb asserts is in direct violation of the law.
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“No American city should have the U.S. military—particularly out-of-state military who are not accountable to the residents and untrained in local law enforcement—policing its streets,” Schwalb said. “It’s D.C, today but could be any other city tomorrow.”
President Trump's lawyers in his Los Angeles National Guard deployment argued that the Posse Comitatus Act was irrelevant to the case.
Editor's Note: President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
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