The District of Columbia regained some control of its police department late Friday, hours after suing the Trump administration for its “unlawful” takeover. Following a court order, the district and federal government agreed that the city’s police chief — not an “emergency” commander appointed by the administration — would command the department.
Both sides also agreed, however, that D.C. police officers would increase cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, a policy change U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi instituted late Thursday.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced the lawsuit on Facebook, saying the takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department compromised residents’ safety and violated the Home Rule Act, which granted district voters the right to elect a mayor and city council.
“We are going to court to defend Home Rule, block these orders, and maintain MPD under District control,” Schwalb wrote. “This is the gravest threat to Home Rule DC has faced, and we are fighting to stop it.”
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Judge conducts hearing
U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes conducted a hearing on Friday afternoon on Schwalb’s request for a temporary restraining order. She adjourned the hearing around 5 p.m. Eastern time, requesting the parties to present evidence before entering a ruling.
“I do think that section one of the order is plainly contrary to the statute,” Reyes said in the hearing, referring to Bondi’s order. “Not going to reach the constitutional issue, but I don’t want to issue a decision unless I have to.”
Reyes didn’t. Instead, Justice Department attorney Yaakov Roth said the Trump administration agreed to change Bondi’s order, The Washington Post reported. It would state Drug Enforcement Administrator Terrance Cole is the “designee of the attorney general for the purposes of requesting services,” Roth told the judge.
If the order isn’t changed by 6:30 p.m., Reyes would block that section of Bondi’s order.
Legal action
The suit names President Donald Trump, Bondi, Cole, U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces Serralta and their respective agencies as defendants.
The lawsuit comes nearly five days after Trump federalized the Washington police to “take our capital back.” Trump claimed that crime is rising in the district, even though the Justice Department and MPD said in January that the city’s violent crime rate in 2024 was the lowest in 30 years.
The lawsuit revealed that Bondi issued an order on Thursday evening, unbeknownst to the city’s police, that directed Mayor Muriel Bowser and Police Chief Pamela Smith to:
- Eliminate the department’s sanctuary city policy.
- Install Cole as the “emergency” police commissioner.
- Reverse MPD’s orders that limited inquiries on a person’s immigration status and prevented arrests for federal immigration warrants.
- Enforce a city law that made it illegal for people to continue demonstrations when it’s been previously declared unlawful or when they were told to disperse.
According to court papers, Schwalb sought to repeal Bondi’s order that extended control of MPD, prevent the administration from further action on MPD and declare that Trump’s executive orders violated the Home Rule Act and the Constitution.
“These unlawful assertions of authority will create immediate, devastating, and irreparable harms for the District,” attorneys wrote in the lawsuit. “Most critically, the order threatens to upend the command structure of MPD and wreak operational havoc within the department, endangering the safety of the public and law enforcement officers alike.”
Schwalb’s office didn’t immediately respond to Straight Arrow News’ request for comment. None of the agencies has commented on the litigation.
This is a developing story.
