Washington sues Donald Trump over Federal takeover of city police, Judge Ana Reyes to hold emergency hearing

Mint

2 days ago

The District of Columbia has launched a legal battle against the Donald Trump administration, seeking to block what city officials describe as an unlawful and dangerous federal takeover of its police force. The lawsuit, filed on Friday by Washington DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb, accuses President Donald Trump of overstepping his constitutional authority and jeopardising public safety.
The hearing in DC federal court has begun with Judge Ana C. Reyes, a Biden appointee, presiding the emergency hearing on the city's suit.
At the heart of the dispute is President Trump's decision to invoke rarely used emergency powers to place the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) under direct federal control. The move, announced earlier this week, also authorised the deployment of hundreds of National Guard troops to the US capital.
The White House insists the intervention is necessary to address what it calls a 'crime emergency,' despite official Justice Department statistics showing crime rates have been falling. Trump's order strips DC's police chief of her operational authority, appointing Drug Enforcement Administration head Terrence Cole as 'emergency police commissioner' with sweeping powers.
In her directive, US Attorney General Pam Bondi also revoked city policies limiting police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and instructed officers to fully enforce laws against blocking streets and occupying public spaces.
Filed in Washington federal court, the city's complaint argues that the Home Rule Act of 1973, which grants DC its limited self-governing powers, does not authorise the president to seize direct control of the police force. Instead, it allows the president to request police assistance from the mayor under 'special emergency conditions' — a significantly narrower power.
Attorney General Schwalb's filing warns that the federal order 'would upend the command structure of the MPD, sow chaos among more than 3,100 officers, and endanger both the public and law enforcement officers.'
Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela A. Smith, in a sworn statement, said her department was given no advance notice of the president's plans. Calling Bondi's directive 'the most dangerous government action' she had witnessed in nearly three decades, Smith warned it posed a greater threat to law and order than the problems it claimed to solve.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said the administration 'has the lawful authority' to act, citing 'failed leadership' in the city and the need to restore public safety. U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro reinforced the administration's focus on tackling violent crime, particularly offences involving young offenders, describing them as 'gangs and crews' who 'think they can beat the hell out of anyone.'
DC's unique status — neither a state nor a typical municipality — has long left it vulnerable to federal intervention. Under the Home Rule Act, Congress retains ultimate oversight, and the president controls the city's National Guard. While takeovers of local policing are permitted for up to 30 days during an emergency, they require congressional approval to be extended.
Mayor Muriel Bowser, a long-time advocate for D.C. statehood, condemned the move but stopped short of escalating tensions with the White House. Schwalb, however, took a more combative tone, calling Trump's intervention 'unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful.'
A federal judge is scheduled to hear Washington's request for a temporary restraining order at 2 pm today. If granted, it could immediately halt the Trump administration's efforts to control the MPD while the legal case proceeds.