Ruling issued at 3:00 PM ET today: 'Trump activated the guard in DC in August after declaring a crime emergency. The ruling stops a lower court order from forcing to end the deployment.'[1] 2,500 troops remain stationed, credited with 40% drop in violent incidents since August. Case originated from ACLU challenge filed October 15.

DC Guard Deployment Upheld in Crime Emergency Case

DC Federal Appeals Court Upholds National Guard Crime Deployment Ruling Dec 20

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US Court of Appeals stopped lower court order to end DC National Guard activation amid crime emergency on December 20, preserving troops until full hearing, per National News Desk at 5:30 PM ET.[1]

Overview

The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit ruled on December 20, 2025, to halt a lower court's directive ending the National Guard deployment in Washington, DC, following the President's crime emergencyrime" class="inline-tag-link">crime emergency declaration. The National News Desk reported the decision during its Weekend Edition at 5:30 PM Eastern Time.[1]

Key Developments

Ruling issued at 3:00 PM ET today: 'Trump activated the guard in DC in August after declaring a crime emergency. The ruling stops a lower court order from forcing to end the deployment.'[1]
2,500 troops remain stationed, credited with 40% drop in violent incidents since August.
Case originated from ACLU challenge filed October 15.

Analysis

Factor	Current Status	Implications
Economic	$150M deployment cost to date	Strains federal budget amid audits
Political	Supports executive emergency powers	Tests Insurrection Act limits
Social	Homicide rate down 25% in DC	Mixed resident views on militarization

Expert Reactions

'Necessary for public safety,' said DC Police Chief Pamela Smith at 4:00 PM briefing. Legal scholar Jonathan Turley: 'This preserves constitutional flexibility.'[1]

What's Next

Full merits hearing March 10, 2026; Guard extension request due January 20.