Yesterday, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction in District of Columbia v. Trump, temporarily halting President Trump’s National Guard deployment in Washington D.C. as the case proceeds, indicating that this deployment was likely unlawful. The order will go into effect in 21 days unless there is an appeal.
In September, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) filed an amicus brief urging the court to grant the preliminary injunction and prevent further harm to Black communities arising out of this military presence in the District.
The court’s decision in this case follows a pattern of other federal courts issuing injunctions against National Guard deployments across the country given the likelihood they are illegal and unconstitutional.
In response, LDF Director of Strategic Initiatives Jin Hee Lee issued the following statement:
“The Trump administration’s brazen use of military resources to occupy American cities has once again been declared unlawful. This is a critical victory for D.C. residents and the rule of law. No president in a functioning democracy has authority to use the nation’s military to silence dissent and imperil cities based on fabricated crime emergencies. LDF will continue to oppose unlawful overreach of the federal government into the public safety affairs of local communities that place Black people in harm’s way.”
###
Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation’s first civil rights law organization. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.
