Appeals Court Hands Trump Victory, Allows National Guard to Stay in Washington Amid Legal Fight

A federal appeals court on Thursday issued a significant ruling in favor of President Donald Trump, clearing the way for the National Guard to remain deployed in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit paused a lower-court order that would have required the Guard’s withdrawal by December 11, effectively allowing Trump’s controversial security operation to continue.

The decision temporarily halts an injunction obtained by District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb, a Democrat, who challenged Trump’s decision to use the Guard for extended crime-reduction efforts in the nation’s capital. Trump first dispatched Guard units to the city on August 11 in response to what he described as spiraling violent crime. More than 2,000 Guard members have since been stationed throughout the district.

The deployment became a focal point of national attention in late November after two Guard troops were shot near the White House just before the Thanksgiving holiday. Critics cited the incident as evidence that the mission itself was creating new dangers, while supporters argued it underscored the severity of violence in the city and the need for federal intervention.

Earlier on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb issued a ruling stating that Trump’s deployment violated Washington’s Home Rule Act, which grants the city a degree of autonomy from federal control. According to Cobb, the president exceeded his authority by using Guard troops for day-to-day law enforcement and crime-deterrence—roles she noted were never intended to fall under federal military command.

Cobb’s ruling would have forced a withdrawal but included a 21-day stay, meaning troops could remain until December 11, giving the administration time to appeal. The appeals court’s intervention now keeps the deployment in place indefinitely as the case continues.

The White House quickly celebrated the appellate win. Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the ruling validated Trump’s actions, arguing that the president was using lawful authority to safeguard federal property and assist local law enforcement. Jackson dismissed the lawsuit as politically motivated and claimed the real consequence of the legal challenge was increased danger to D.C. residents.

“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, however, described Trump’s approach as a clear breach of constitutional limits. In her written opinion, she argued that the president cannot mobilize National Guard forces in the District of Columbia or any state “for whatever reason he sees fit,” warning that such power would override local government authority and create an “unchecked executive weapon.”

Attorney General Schwalb filed suit earlier this fall, seeking a permanent ban on federal policymakers deploying Guard units into the district without approval from the mayor. Schwalb argued that Trump’s decision supplanted local leadership and blurred the lines between military operations and civilian policing.

Trump declared a crime emergency in Washington in August and ordered 2,300 Guard troops from eight states, along with Guard members already stationed in D.C., to begin joint patrols overseen by the Secretary of the Army. The deployment was paired with an influx of federal law enforcement agents from the FBI, DEA, ATF, and Homeland Security Investigations, all assigned to assist with around-the-clock patrols.

Washington was not the only city targeted for long-term federal deployments. Guard operations remain active in Memphis, Tennessee, though similar missions in Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, Illinois, were blocked by federal courts.

The legal battle unfolded as prosecutors announced new charges in a tragic attack connected to the deployment. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro revealed that the man accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House on November 26 will face a first-degree murder charge following the death of 20-year-old Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom.

Officials said Beckstrom succumbed to her injuries after several days in a DC-area hospital. Her father, Gary Beckstrom, announced the news in a heartbreaking social-media post, writing, “My baby girl has passed to glory.”

The accused shooter, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, will also face multiple weapons and assault charges. Authorities say he was living in the United States illegally after overstaying his visa and was arrested moments after the ambush in Farragut Square, just two blocks from the White House.

Pirro vowed more charges would follow, noting that Beckstrom had volunteered for duty over the Thanksgiving holiday. “She ended up being shot ambush-style on the cold streets of Washington, D.C.,” Pirro said.

As the legal fight over the Guard deployment continues, the political stakes—for the White House, for local leaders, and for the city’s residents—are growing by the day.