WV AG JB McCuskey co-led an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, supporting the President’s deployment of National Guard troops to protect our nation’s capital.
The Attorney General for the District of Columbia has filed a lawsuit asking the court to issue a preliminary injunction to stop the National Guard, despite the success of the deployment in protecting the seat of government and all those who live, work and visit there.
Since the deployment, aided by the West Virginia National Guard and several other states, the nation’s capital has become markedly safer. As of August 20, 2025, only nine days after National Guard troops were first deployed, D.C. went seven days without a homicide, carjackings decreased by 83%, robberies by 46%, car thefts by 21%, and overall violent crime by 22%. In addition, more than 200 illegal firearms have been taken off the streets. Even the District’s Democratic Mayor acknowledged the sharp decline in crime and expressed her appreciation.
“The President has the authority, and the duty, to protect our nation’s capital. The lawlessness in Washington, D.C., the result of years of soft-on-crime policies, was putting our nation at risk and finally, we have a President willing to step up to secure it,” Attorney General McCuskey said. “We are so immensely proud of the work of our National Guard members who have answered the call to restore law and order to D.C. Their deployment is working. But instead of being part of the solution and on the side of safety, this lawsuit is pure misguided political resistance to President Trump.”
The brief argues President Trump’s use of the National Guard does not infringe on D.C.’s sovereignty. “His action accords with over two centuries of constitutional tradition that the federal government has responsibility for our capital. America cannot succeed and thrive when the Seat of Government is not safe, and so protecting D.C. is one of President Trump’s most important duties under Article II,” the brief argues.
Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia joined the West Virginia and South Carolina-led brief.
Read the amicus brief here.