A US federal judge has ordered the withdrawal of National Guard troops from Washington, marking another setback for former President Donald Trump in his conflict with Democratic-led cities and states.
However, Judge Jia Cobb postponed the implementation of her order for 21 days, until 11 December, giving the government time to appeal.
Since June, the Republican president had sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles, Washington, and Memphis, over objections from local Democratic authorities. Trump argued that these reinforcements were necessary to combat crime and support federal immigration enforcement.
Washington’s municipal government filed a lawsuit following the August deployment of National Guard troops to the city, accusing the federal executive of overstepping its authority.
Currently, 2,175 National Guard troops are stationed in Washington, including 1,245 from other states, according to the latest military figures.
On Thursday, the judge ruled in favour of the Washington municipal government. Cobb stated the federal government had acted unlawfully by deploying the city’s National Guard for crime prevention missions without the request of local civil authorities.
The judge also found that existing law does not permit the deployment of National Guard personnel from other regions to Washington under the circumstances.
Washington operates under a unique status as it is not part of any state. The city has limited autonomy, with the US Congress holding authority over its governance.
In October, judicial rulings blocked similar deployments to Chicago and Portland, halting these actions indefinitely.
Over a month ago, the Trump administration urgently appealed to the conservative-majority Supreme Court for permission to send the National Guard to Chicago.
A decision on this request remains pending.
