Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb issued the below statement following today’s ruling from U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb that the federal government’s deployment of National Guard troops to the District is illegal. Judge Cobb granted the Office of the Attorney General’s request for a preliminary injunction, but stayed the order for 21 days to allow the defendants an opportunity to appeal.
“From the beginning, we made clear that the U.S. military should not be policing American citizens on American soil. Normalizing the use of military troops for domestic law enforcement sets a dangerous precedent, where the President can disregard states’ independence and deploy troops wherever and whenever he wants – with no check on his military power,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “This unprecedented federal overreach is not normal, or legal. It is long past time to let the National Guard go home – to their everyday lives, their regular jobs, their families, and their children.”