Judge Clears West Virginia Guard Deployment to D.C. Amid Trump Push

A judge on Monday cleared the continued deployment of more than 300 West Virginia National Guard members to Washington, D.C., as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to send the military into Democratic-run cities…

Andrew PowellNov 10, 20253 min read

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is among

several

states sending

National Guard

members to the capital. The state Guard has said the deployment could last through the end of November, but is consulting on a possible extension. Formal orders have also extended the D.C.

National Guard

’s presence through February.

Jace Goins, West Virginia’s chief deputy attorney general, praised the ruling, saying, “The National Guard are going nowhere. They’re staying in D.C. They’re not going to be redeployed to West Virginia. The judge determined that the governor made a lawful decision deploying the National Guard to D.C. by a lawful request of the president.”

The lawsuit argued that under state law, the governor could deploy the Guard out of state only for emergencies, such as natural disasters or another state’s request. The civic group said it was harmed by having to redirect its resources away from government accountability.

Aubrey Sparks, attorney for the ACLU of West Virginia, criticized the ruling. “I think West Virginia law is clear,” Sparks said. “I think what the state was permitted to do here is to skirt past West Virginia law simply because Trump asked them to. And that’s not how the law works. We remain deeply concerned about it.”

Trump issued an executive order in August declaring a crime emergency in D.C., despite the Department of Justice reporting that violent crime there is at a 30-year low. Within a month, over 2,300 Guard troops from eight states and D.C. were patrolling under the Army secretary’s command, supported by hundreds of federal agents.

Separately, a federal judge heard arguments on Oct. 24 regarding D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb’s request to remove National Guard members from the city, but has yet to issue a ruling.