The District of Columbia’s attorney general said Thursday that he was suing to end the deployment of the National Guard in Washington.
The lawsuit from Brian Schwalb, the district’s elected chief legal officer, alleges that the presence of troops violates the Home Rule Act, a 19th century law prohibiting the use of federal forces for domestic law enforcement.
Schwalb argues that the National Guard units deployed in D.C. are reporting through the military chain of command, making them subject to the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 statute that restricts the use of U.S. armed forces on America’s streets.
“The Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the military from engaging in domestic policing. Yet the Administration launched a massive, indefinite law enforcement operation in DC under direct military command. This is plainly illegal, and it threatens our democracy and civil liberties,” he wrote.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the lawsuit says that National Guard troops are in D.C. for the explicit purpose of addressing crime in violation of that law, with directions to patrol local neighborhoods while carrying firearms and to conduct law enforcement activities such as searches, seizures, and arrests.
“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 in announcing the lawsuit. “It’s D.C, today but could be any other city tomorrow.”
“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,” D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb wrote on X on Thursday.
The president’s use of the National Guard has come under intense legal scrutiny and pushback already. A federal judge ruled this week that Trump’s deployment of troops to Los Angeles over the summer amid ICE protests was illegal.
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No surprises here. If Trump thinks something is a good idea, some Demo-rat will take it to their favorite TDS afflicted Judge!! My only question is, Why does DC have an Attorney General?! It’s not a State. It is basically a City within a Federal District. How does that rate an AG same as a State or the Federal Government? I’m serious about this. If anyone knows the answer to this, please leave a comment and explain this to me? Thank you.
Isn’t it curious how Democrats are so eager to defend criminals, including murderers, child rapists, etc. They’re doing it all over the country in every blue state and city. It is so outrageous you would be justified in questioning whether they might be on the take from the cartels and other organized crime elements. There doesn’t seem to be any rational justification for it, so it must be monetary.
Based on crime statistics it is obvious that crime in the District of Columbia is out of hand but apparently the D.C. attorney general is okay with that. Of course the question is are the citizens of the District okay with the crime rate?
Then Trump should cut off ALL supplies going into DC until that judge rescinds his order. Let them all starve and have no gas for their cars. Let the people defend themselves and shoot the place up until there is no one left. Let Trump declare Marshall Law and let him do a complete takeover of DC The whole country for that matter. Maybe he’ll declare himself dictator for life like the dems are saying he’s going to. Maybe there won’t be another election and he can just put into place whomever he wants too. Stack the government with all republicans.