Attempts to halt federal takeover of police department in Washington, DC, lead to lawsuit against President Trump – In a lawsuit filed against President Trump and his administration, the District of Columbia alleged that the president’s “brazen” meddling in the city’s police force was unlawful and caused “operational havoc” inside the department.
The complaint was filed on August 15 by Brian Schwalb, the attorney general of the District of Columbia. It claims that Trump misused his power under the Home Rule Act of 1973 when he declared a local crime emergency to take control of the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to Schwalb, the president can only use his power to target the DC police force for “federal purposes.” According to the lawsuit, Mayor Muriel Bowser is only obligated to “provide services” of the Metropolitan Police Department to the federal government, and the law does not allow for a complete takeover of the department.
“The Administration is abusing its limited, temporary authority under the Home Rule Act by declaring a hostile takeover of MPD. This infringement on the District’s right to self-governance and the safety of DC residents and visitors is put at risk,” Schwalb said in a statement.
The Washington, DC, federal court case seeks a preliminary injunction to block Trump’s control of the police force. President Joe Biden appointed U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes to the bench; a hearing before her is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
No comments were made by the Department of Justice.
Among the defendants in the lawsuit are Attorney General Pam Bondi and Trump. The lawsuit claims that Bondi went beyond her authority on August 14 when she named Terry Cole, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the new “emergency police commissioner” of the Metropolitan Police Department and suspended three D.C. policies related to immigration.
“Section 740 does not authorize this brazen usurpation of the District’s authority over its own government,” according to the complaint. Just the’services’ of the MPD can be requested from the Mayor by the President and his delegate under that limited regulation. Within the scope of that narrow delegation of power, none of the Bondi Order’s directives are applicable.
When asked for comment on the lawsuit, a Bowser spokesman cited the mayor’s statement from August 14th, which is similar to the one Schwalb brought. The District’s personnel authority cannot be transferred to a federal official, according to Bowser, who stated, “We have followed the law.”
On August 11, Trump made a historic use of presidential power by stepping in to take control of the Washington, DC, police force and deploying hundreds of National Guard troops to the streets. Trump justified the measures by saying they were essential in the fight against crime in the city, despite the fact that the violent crime rate in Washington had dropped by 26% in 2025 compared to the previous year.
The federal government is limited to no more than 30 days of usage of the Metropolitan Police force in Washington, DC, per the Home Rule Act.
This week, Trump announced his intention to send crime-related legislation to Congress “very quickly” that would aim to prolong the 30-day window for the city’s federalized police force. He stated his expectation that the proposal would receive unanimous support from Republicans in Congress.
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