Topline
Washington, D.C., sued the Trump administration Friday, alleging the president has overstepped his authority in a takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department—legal action that comes a day after the Trump administration attempted to effectively replace D.C.’s police commissioner with a federal official.
Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks alongside President Donald Trump on recent Supreme Court rulings in the briefing room at the White House on June 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Key Facts
Calling the federal government’s actions a “brazen usurpation of the district’s authority,” D.C. attorney general Brian Schwalb alleges they violate the Home Rule Act of 1973 that grants D.C. the right to self-govern.
The lawsuit was filed after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday issued an order to install the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration Terry Cole as an “emergency commissioner” at the MPD, directing the department to “receive approval from Commissioner Cole” before issuing any orders.
Bondi also issued orders to revoke some MPD policies, including one instructing officers to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, with Bondi saying the ICE directive does not go far enough.
Schwalb’s office is seeking a temporary restraining order to block Bondi’s directives, alleging “Congress did not grant the President authority to displace the Chief of Police, assert operational control over MPD or rescind MPD policies—as the Administration seeks to do.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2025/08/15/dc-sues-trump-for-police-takeover/