Appeals Court Allows Trump to Keep National Guard in Washington
A federal appeals court delivered a decisive win for President Donald J. Trump on Thursday, allowing the ongoing National Guard mission in Washington, D.C., to continue and blocking an attempt by local Democrat officials to shut it down.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit lifted a lower court injunction that would have forced the Guard to withdraw by December 11. The ruling preserves Trump’s authority to maintain the anti-crime operation he initiated earlier this summer, according to CNN.
The deployment has drawn national attention—not only because local officials have fought it for months, but because two Guard members were ambushed and shot near the White House on November 26, just before Thanksgiving, escalating public outrage and strengthening calls for renewed law-and-order leadership.
The case originated from a lawsuit filed by District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb, a Democrat who has repeatedly clashed with the White House over Trump’s aggressive strategy to curb Washington’s explosion in violent crime.
President Trump first deployed the National Guard to the nation’s capital on August 11 after a sharp rise in homicides, carjackings, and armed assaults. Since then, more than 2,000 Guard members have patrolled high-risk neighborhoods, assisted law enforcement, and provided rapid-response support during emergencies.
Despite these efforts, District Judge Jia Michelle Cobb ruled earlier Thursday that Trump’s deployment purportedly violated the city’s Home Rule Act, claiming Guard units were being used for non-military crime deterrence duties. Her ruling included a 21-day stay—allowing troops to remain until December 11, 2025—giving the administration time to appeal.
The White House swiftly pushed back, making clear that Trump is operating squarely within the law.
“Trump is well within his lawful authority to deploy the National Guard in Washington D.C. to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement with specific tasks,” a White House official told the Daily Mail.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson was even more direct.
“This lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt — at the detriment of DC residents — to undermine the President’s highly successful operations to stop violent crime in DC,” Jackson said.
Judge Cobb argued in her ruling that the deployment intruded on local authority and claimed the president cannot activate Guard troops for “whatever reason [he] sees fit.”
Schwalb’s suit demanded that the White House obtain approval from the mayor—an attempt critics say would give local politicians veto power over federal law-and-order policy in the nation’s capital.
Washington is not the only city where National Guard units have been deployed.
Memphis, Tennessee continues to host Guard operations, while courts in Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, Illinois have blocked similar federal efforts.
In Washington, Trump declared a crime emergency in August and ordered the deployment of 2,300 National Guard troops from eight states and D.C. He also dispatched hundreds of federal agents from the FBI, ATF, DEA, and HSI to support the mission’s 24-hour patrol structure.
The violent shooting of two National Guard members on November 26 has intensified national scrutiny—and underscored why Trump’s crackdown has strong support among Americans fed up with rampant crime.
One of the victims, 20-year-old Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, tragically died from her injuries, prompting U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to announce upgraded charges against the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
Pirro confirmed that the Afghan national will now face first-degree murder charges. “Many more charges to come,” she told Fox News, noting that Beckstrom had volunteered for holiday duty and “ended up being shot ambush style on the cold streets of Washington, D.C.”
Beckstrom’s father, Gary Beckstrom, shared his grief online, writing on Facebook: “My baby girl has passed to glory. If I don’t talk to you don’t be offended this has been a horrible tragedy.”
Authorities say Lakanwal, 29, had overstayed his visa and was living illegally in the United States. He was arrested moments after the shooting near Farragut Square Park, just two blocks from the White House.
With the appeals court ruling, President Trump’s public safety mission remains firmly in place—setting the stage for a broader national debate over federal authority, Democrat-led urban crime policies, and the President’s vow to restore law and order in America’s capital city.