District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued the Trump administration on August 15, 2025, to block the administration’s illegal efforts to take control of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and appoint an “interim commissioner” over the MPD. Under the Home Rule Act, the President has narrow authority to require the Mayor of the District to provide the services of the MPD for “federal purposes” if special conditions of an emergency nature exist. This authority is limited not just by purpose but also by time — to only 30 days without congressional approval.  

The actions of the President and his administration far exceed this limited authority. Trump’s initial emergency order was based on a non-existent “crime emergency,” invalidating the conditions necessary for the president to request MPD services—in fact, crime in the District has fallen in to a 30-year low. The order also exceeds the scope of the Home Rule law by purporting to federalize “law and order,” rather than limiting policing services to federal purposes. Attorney General Pam Bondi then further violated federal law when she attempted to overturn multiple MPD directives and supplant the MPD police chief with an “emergency Police Commissioner.” Nothing in federal law allows the federal government to take over MPD. In fact, the Home Rule Act does quite the opposite, by keeping control over local matters in the hands of the District’s locally elected leaders. 

Attorney General Schwalb asked the court to rule that the federal government’s actions are illegal, block implementation of illegal orders reversing District policies, and prevent the federal government from attempting to take control of the MPD.  

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. The Administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call DC home. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it. Attorney General Brian Schwalb