Washington, DC, sues President Trump to stop federal takeover of police department
The lawsuit, filed on Aug. 15 by the District of Columbia's Attorney General Brian Schwalb, says Trump exceeded his authority under the Home Rule Act of 1973 when he invoked a section of the federal law by declaring a local crime emergency to assert control over the Metropolitan Police Department.
More: How DC's unique status let Trump take control of police, deploy National Guard
Schwalb cited language in the provision that says the president's authority to target the Washington, D.C., police force is limited to "federal purposes." The suit also states the law does not permit a full takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department but only requires Mayor Muriel Bowser to "provide services" of the department to the federal government.
'By declaring a hostile takeover of MPD, the Administration is abusing its limited, temporary authority under the Home Rule Act, infringing on the District's right to self-governance and putting the safety of DC residents and visitors at risk,' Schwalb said in a statement.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, seeks a temporary restraining order to halt Trump's police takeover.
The Department of Justice declined to comment.
Attorneys for the District of Columbia and the Trump administration gathered for a 2 p.m. ET hearing before U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, who was appointed to the bench by President Joe Biden.
The lawsuit contends that Attorney General Pam Bondi ‒ who is listed among the defendants in addition to Trump ‒ exceeded her authority with an Aug. 14 executive order naming Drug Enforcement Administration head Terry Cole the new "emergency police commissioner" of the Metropolitan Police Department and suspending three immigration-related D.C. policies.
"Section 740 does not authorize this brazen usurpation of the District's authority over its own government," the lawsuit says. "That narrow statute permits the President and his delegee to request that the Mayor provide the 'services' of MPD – nothing more. None of the directives in the Bondi Order fall within the compass of that limited grant of authority."
Asked to comment on the lawsuit, a spokesman for Bowser pointed to an Aug. 14 statement from the mayor that mirrors the case brought by Schwalb. "We have followed the law," Bowser said, adding that no federal law "conveys the District's personnel authority to a federal official."
In an extraordinary declaration of executive power, Trump on Aug. 11 deployed hundreds of National Guard troops to the streets of Washington and took action to seize control of the city's police force. Trump said the actions were necessary to combat crime in the city, even though Washington's violent crime rate is down 26% in 2025 compared with last year.
Under the Home Rule Act, the federal government's use of Washington's Metropolitan Police force can't extend beyond 30 days.
Trump this week said he planned to submit crime-related legislation to Congress "very quickly" that would seek to extend the federalized police force in the city beyond the 30-day window. He said he expected to get unanimous support from congressional Republicans for the measure.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DC sues Trump to stop federal takeover of police department
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