Trump can keep National Guard in Washington, DC, for now: Appeals court

In December 2025, a US appeals court granted a stay on a lower court's order that would have required the Trump administration to withdraw National Guard troops from Washington, DC. The stay allows the administration to consider its response to the previous ruling, which stated the deployment was unlawful without a request from city authorities. District Judge Jia Cobb had initially ordered the withdrawal by December 11, later extending the deadline. The Trump administration deployed at least 2,000 National Guard troops to Washington, DC, as part of an anti-crime initiative, facing legal challenges due to the deployment's nature and absence of local consent. The appeals court emphasized that the stay is not a ruling on the case's merits. The decision follows the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC.

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