Background: The U.S Capitol is seen Thursday, Aug 14, 2025, in Washington (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib). Inset left: President Donald Trump gestures during a reception for Republican members of Congress in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Washington (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson). Inset right: District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser walks outside of federal court in Washington, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025 (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein).
A fight over city officers in the nation”s capital has escalated to a lawsuit filed by Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian Schwalb against President Donald Trump, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, and other federal officials.
The lawsuit is a challenge to the White House that appears to be seeking full metropolitan police control and dismantling a chain of command that has been in place for over 50 years.
In an attempt to assert control by the White House, Bondi appointed an “emergency police commissioner” and named Terrance C. Cole, who currently serves as the Administrator for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, to the role. Cole is also named in the lawsuit.
Referencing Section 740
Per the lawsuit, “The President did not identify any new or unusual exigency that justified the invocation of Section 740 [of the Home Rule Act.] Instead, he makes arbitrary claims of an increasing crime rate in D.C. without any factual evidence to back it up. To the contrary, statistics show the crime rate has actually fallen 25% since 2024.”
Section 740 of the Home Rule Act, which pertains to emergency control of police in the capital, grants the District of Columbia autonomy in its governance, though Congress retains ultimate authority and can override legislation.
However, as of Friday, the order was rescinded, with the Trump Administration agreeing to keep the police chief in control of the department — although Washington, D.C., police are still being directed to cooperate with immigration enforcement, regardless of city laws.
A Trump administration lawsuit among many
This isn’t the first time the president has invoked his executive authority and made claims of its necessity for “federal purposes” or protection under the law. Nor is it the first time a complaint for declaratory and/or injunctive relief has been filed to challenge his executive orders.
This has been a common theme regarding conduct and policies for birthright citizenship and suspension of federal financial assistance, among several others.
In this instance, he attempts to incite fear through his rhetoric, having said in a news conference that Washington, D.C., “has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals” in his continued campaign for mass deportation.
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It could be said that his sweeping allegations and inflated “facts” cause more disruption than community safety, which his administration claims is the goal. While law and order — as well as citizen safety and protection — are paramount, is the president actually causing chaos and calling it a solution?
Additionally, for a party that has historically valued far less federal government oversight and would rather leave important issues and policies to the states to decide, this federal takeover of the local metropolitan police department seems to go against that value.
Mayor Bowser responds to new order
In response to the Trump Administration’s actions, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser has said the office is still evaluating how it can comply with the new Bondi order, while the police department has already eased some of its restrictions when cooperating with federal officials, though it has said it would abide by the district’s sanctuary laws.
This isn’t the first time a lawsuit has been filed to stop Trump’s agenda, and it won’t be the last. But the question is: what’s it all for? Is it a sincere belief from the president in what he’s saying? Is it a precaution? Or is it a distraction from other ways the president has appeared in the media recently, namely the Epstein files?
There has been a lot of quick back-and-forth regarding the administration flexing its executive authority, only to be reminded of what the law does and does not allow.
