A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday, Dec. 17, to allow National Guard troops mobilized by President Donald Trump to remain in Washington while it examines the legality of the soldiers’ deployment to the U.S. capital.
The three-judge panel voted unanimously to grant the Trump administration’s appeal, handing it a temporary victory that allows the GOP to stop a trial judge’s ruling in the first instance that forced it to order the return of the thousands of National Guardsmen present in the District of Columbia.
National Guard to remain in Washington
The 30-page opinion relied on the special legal status of the capital, arguing that the “president possesses exceptional power within the District – seat of the federal government – to mobilize the National Guard,” so he might have “a strong likelihood of prevailing in the case.”
The appeals court decision comes weeks after the attack on two soldiers while on patrol about 500 meters from the White House, which resulted in the death of one and serious injury to the other.
The favorable verdict for Trump also coincides with court proceedings in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland, where courts have questioned the legal scope of the president’s orders to activate these troops against local authorities.
The Supreme Court is also currently considering the legality of the National Guard deployment in Chicago.
Trump has insisted he wants to help eradicate the “wave of violence” in these Democratic-majority cities, something state and local governments reject.
The 900 District of Columbia National Guardsmen mobilized by Trump in August have been joined by additional forces from at least 11 Republican-led states, for a total of more than 3,000 troops, according to The New York Times.
Filed under: National Guard in Washington
With information from EFE
