The Washington Monument is visible as armed members of the National Guard patrol the National Mall on August 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

President Donald Trump and the Defense Department illegally deployed the National Guard in Washington, DC, a federal judge ruled Thursday .

Washington, DC’s Attorney General’s office had sued the Trump administration in early September over the National Guard’s deployment in the city, which came as Trump surged federal law enforcement in the capital.

The administration “exceeded the bounds of their authority” in how they deployed National Guard troops in the city, and “acted contrary to law” when they deployed the DC National Guard “for non-military, crime-deterrence missions in the absence of a request from the city’s ci

See Full Page