A federal judge ruled on Thursday that President Trump and the Department of Defense’s (DOD) deployment of the National Guard in Washington, DC is unlawful, in District of Columbia v. Trump .

Judge Jia M. Cobb, District Judge for the District of Columbia, stated in a memorandum opinion that the defendants “exceeded the bounds of their authority under Title 49 of the D.C. Code” by using the D.C. National Guard (DCNG) for “non-military, crime-deterrence” reasons, through mechanisms like patrols in public spaces. Although Title 49 designates the president as commander in chief of the DCNG, the president is nonetheless limited to “instances in which the relevant civil authorities request” their aid. She further stated that the DOD “lack[s] statutory authority under 32 U.S.C. § 502” to b

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