• President Trump’s “Liberation Day” declaration in Washington, D.C. has sparked a legal showdown over federal control of the city’s police force.
• D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed suit against the Trump administration, calling the move a “brazenly unlawful takeover.”
• The clash highlights long-running tensions over the District’s Home Rule Act and its fragile autonomy.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TDR) — Just days after President Donald Trump declared “Liberation Day” and federalized the Metropolitan Police Department, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb is suing the Trump administration, arguing that the president’s actions violate the District’s limited self-governance. The case marks one of the most significant confrontations between the federal government and the city since the Home Rule Act of 1973 first granted Washington residents partial autonomy.

A Hostile Takeover

Calling the federalization of MPD a “hostile takeover,” Schwalb insisted that Trump had exceeded his authority under Section 740 of the Home Rule Act. “The federal government’s power over D.C. is not absolute, and it should not be exercised as such,” Schwalb posted on X Friday morning. He added that while the president can request MPD’s services in “special emergencies,” the law only permits temporary action for explicitly federal purposes.

“This is an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call D.C. home,” Schwalb wrote. “We have no choice but to stand up for residents’ rights and safety.”

Leadership Overhaul and Policy Shifts

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The lawsuit follows sweeping personnel changes ordered by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who replaced MPD Chief Pamela Smith with DEA Administrator Terry Cole as “emergency police commissioner.” Bondi also rolled back the city’s sanctuary policies, opening the door for full cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

Trump defended his order by pointing to what he described as “crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor” in the capital. He specifically cited a wave of youth violence, saying, “Local ‘youths’ and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-years-old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens … but it’s going to happen now!” He vowed to prosecute violent minors as adults beginning at age 14.

The Legal Limits

Under current law, Section 740 permits a president to federalize MPD for no more than 30 days. Trump’s critics argue his “Liberation Day” declaration aims to sidestep that limitation. In response, congressional Republicans are mobilizing to broaden executive authority.

Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., has introduced a resolution to eliminate the 30-day cap, while Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Ogles jointly proposed repealing Home Rule altogether. Their measure, pointedly dubbed the BOWSER Act, references D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and asserts that crime levels demand direct federal intervention.

Home Rule at Stake

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Passed in 1973 and ratified by city voters, the Home Rule Act allowed D.C. to elect mayors and city council members while still leaving ultimate authority with Congress. It remains a delicate balance: self-governance for local matters, tempered by federal supremacy. Trump’s action now throws that equilibrium into turmoil, testing whether the District’s autonomy has any enforceable limits when confronted by executive fiat.

As legal battles mount, the city finds itself caught between a president who insists on restoring law and order and local leaders who view the move as a dangerous precedent. The courts will now decide whether Trump’s “Liberation Day” stands as a legitimate use of presidential power — or an unlawful overreach into the life of the nation’s capital.

Is this a bold step to restore public safety in Washington — or a turning point that dismantles the very idea of Home Rule?

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