West Virginia Guard Deployment in DC Under Scrutiny: Judge to Weigh Legality

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A West Virginia court is set to examine the deployment of state National Guard members to Washington, D.C. as part of President Trump's crime-fighting efforts. The hearing comes amid a lawsuit filed by a local civic organization, which claims Republican Governor Patrick Morrisey overstepped his authority by sending up to 300 Guard members to the nation's capital. The group argues that the governor's decision was not in line with state law, which allows the deployment of National Guard members out of state only for specific purposes, such as natural disasters or emergency requests. The state's attorney general's office has disputed this claim, saying that the deployment was authorized under federal law. The lawsuit also alleges that the deployment has forced the civic organization to refocus its resources away from its core mission of government accountability and transparency. This is the third hearing in three weeks in Charleston, West Virginia, on the state's response to Trump's crime-fighting efforts. The deployment of National Guard members to Washington, D.C. began in August, with over 2,300 troops from eight states and the district patrolling under the Army secretary's command. Despite this, the U.S. Justice Department has reported that violent crime in the nation's capital is at a 30-year low. The case has drawn attention to the broader issue of the deployment of National Guard members in Democratic-run cities. A separate federal judge heard arguments in October on a request from the District of Columbia Attorney General to remove National Guard members from Washington streets. The outcome of this case is still pending.