Washington, D.C.’s attorney general has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, challenging President Donald Trump’s unprecedented decision to place the city’s police force under federal control.
The lawsuit, brought by DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb, seeks to overturn a directive issued by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who appointed Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) chief Terry Cole as “emergency police commissioner.” The order grants Cole authority over Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Pamela Smith, requiring her to obtain his approval before issuing directives.
Schwalb accused the administration of “abusing its temporary, limited authority under the law” and asked a federal judge to block Bondi’s order. The case has been assigned to Judge Ana Reyes, though no hearing date has been set.
Trump cited the 1970s Home Rule Act as the legal basis for his intervention, arguing that the federal government can deploy MPD “for federal purposes” when necessary. Alongside the police takeover, Trump has sent hundreds of National Guard troops, FBI agents, and other federal officers into the capital to run checkpoints, clear homeless encampments, and patrol public areas. The administration plans to field as many as 1,300 personnel.
Mayor Muriel Bowser denounced the move as “unnecessary and unprecedented,” accusing Trump of staging an “authoritarian push” in a city that she insists is not experiencing a crime crisis.
Bondi defended the federal intervention, claiming agents had made 156 arrests and seized 27 firearms in recent days. However, official DC crime statistics tell a different story: violent crime is currently at its lowest level in 30 years, with a 26% decline in 2025 compared to the same period last year.
This is the first time a U.S. president has federalized the MPD. Previous federal involvement in the city’s policing has been limited to emergencies, such as the crack cocaine epidemic in 1989 and the aftermath of the January 6 Capitol riot in 2021.
The lawsuit sets up a high-stakes legal battle over the limits of presidential authority in the nation’s capital, as well as the future of local autonomy under Washington’s unique status.
