Appeals Court Allows Trump’s National Guard Deployment in DC, for Now

A lower court had blocked the deployment, finding that the president violated the US Constitution and local D.C. law.

A member of the National Guard patrols at Gallery Place Metro Station in Washington on Dec. 3, 2025. Alex Wong/Getty Images

A federal appeals court on Dec. 17 allowed President Donald Trump’s use of District of Columbia National Guard troops in the nation’s capital to continue while an appeal of a lower court order blocking the deployment plays out.

Trump has said the troops were needed to deal with crime and violence in the District of Columbia and support federal immigration law enforcement efforts there.