President Donald Trump’s deployment of more than 2,000 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., was illegal, a federal judge ruled Thursday, ruling in favor of local authorities as the troops approach their fourth month of deployment in the city.
Key data
Judge Jia Cobb said the Defense Department defendants “exceeded the limits of their authority” when they deployed the National Guard for “non-military crime deterrence missions” without a request from authorities in Washington, D.C.
Cobb’s decision does not mean that troops should be withdrawn from the capital, noting that he has only been tasked with determining the legality of the deployment.
Cobb stayed his order until Dec. 11, giving the Trump administration time to appeal.
Last month, about 2,300 National Guard troops were stationed in Washington, D.C.
Tangent
Indiana officials recently approved the deployment of 300 members of the state’s National Guard to Washington, D.C., to relieve troops sent to the capital from other states, as reported by the Indiana Capital Chronicle, which also reported that the mission is expected to last four months at most.
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big number
At least five. That’s the number of cities where the Trump administration has deployed or attempted to deploy the National Guard. These cities are Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland (Oregon), Memphis (Tennessee) and Washington DC. The government has threatened to deploy troops in other cities, such as New York, New Orleans and Oakland (California).
Key background
The Trump administration has justified the deployment of the National Guard as crime-fighting operations, primarily deploying the military to cities governed by Democrats, many of whom have challenged such deployments in court with mixed results. A federal judge permanently blocked the deployment of troops to Portland, Oregon, this month, ruling that the federal government lacked the authority to send the National Guard to the city. Judges also ruled against the Trump administration in Chicago, where the number of troops on alert will soon be reduced while others remain on standby. However, the Supreme Court is considering the legality of the troop deployment in Chicago. The National Guard was deployed to the Chicago area to support ICE agents, who have clashed with protesters on multiple occasions in recent weeks, sparking litigation over how much force can be used against protesters. Gov. Bill Lee, R-Tennessee, had his progress temporarily blocked in deploying troops to Memphis, Tennessee, where hundreds of troops are located, Tennessee Lookout reported.
This article was originally published by Forbes US
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