D.C.'s National Guard tensions grow as legal battle drags on
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Guard members during the recent summer surge. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
New tensions are emerging over the National Guard in D.C. — troops near schools or ballot boxes — but the end of the deployment is nowhere in sight.
The big picture: A federal appeals court again heard arguments in D.C.'s effort to eject the National Guard, but it's unclear when a ruling may come. And even then, the fight could be headed to the Supreme Court.
State of play: Attorneys for D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb returned to court last week, pursuing their lawsuit originally filed more than a year ago.
- Judges on the D.C. Circuit questioned Justice Department officials about the limits of Trump's authority to deploy the Guard.
- The administration argued that Congress gave presidents powers similar to those of a governor to deploy the National Guard, while D.C. maintained that troops cannot be used for domestic law enforcement.
Catch up quick: In November 2025, a lower-court federal judge ordered an end to the deployment, three months after it began.
- But the D.C. Circuit paused the order upon the Trump administration's appeal, allowing troops to stay in town.
By the numbers: About 2,950 National Guard members remain deployed to D.C., down from a summer surge of 5,000, per the Guard's latest figures.
- Two-thirds come from Southern states.
The latest: A National Guard member was shot Sunday night while troops intervened in a fight near Eastern Market.
- A person involved in the fight opened fire, and three Guard members also fired their weapons, police said. Both the Guard member and the suspect suffered non-life-threatening injuries, the Associated Press reports.
Zoom in: Recently, families have protested the Guard's presence near D.C. schools.
- Blocks from a recent news conference about the issue at Bard High School in Southeast, troops were stationed near the Congress Heights Metro station.
- "We have serious questions about why this level of presence is necessary around our schools," said Kiana Faucette, who's part of the school's PTO, per WUSA9.
- Hundreds of parents recently asked Councilmember Brooke Pinto to hold a hearing on the issue within 30 days.
Plus: Sightings of National Guard members near D.C. ballot drop boxes have raised concerns about potential voter intimidation, WTOP reports.
- The task force overseeing the Guard in D.C. told the station it's addressing the incident and that troops are instructed not to monitor or secure polling locations.
What's ahead: If or when the D.C. Circuit makes a ruling, it's likely that a victory for D.C. would lead the Trump administration to appeal to SCOTUS.