Great Lakes Wire

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief supporting the District of Columbia’s legal challenge to the Trump Administration’s deployment of National Guard troops to D.C. without local consent. The coalition argues that this action is unlawful, unconstitutional, and undermines democratic principles.

The brief, submitted to the District Court for the District of Columbia, calls for a preliminary injunction against the federal government’s use of National Guard troops as local law enforcement. The attorneys general assert that such deployments violate constitutional limits on federal power and disrupt the balance between civilian and military authority.

“President Trump has made it clear that he plans to illegally deploy the National Guard to states across the country,” Nessel said. “Such actions blatantly violate the Constitution. The National Guard is not a police force and should not be used as a political tool against the American people. I stand with the District of Columbia in defending the rule of law that protects all of our communities.”

The coalition cites California’s experience as an example of potential harm caused by prolonged military presence in civilian areas. In California, federalized National Guard troops were deployed without the governor’s consent for over three months, leading to public fear, decreased community activity, and strained relations between residents and law enforcement. Additionally, specialized fire crews from the California National Guard were diverted from wildfire response during peak season to support deployments in Los Angeles.

The attorneys general argue that using military forces for civilian law enforcement infringes on powers reserved for states and localities and places untrained personnel in complex situations involving civil rights and criminal procedure. They also stress that states rely on their National Guard units for disaster response and security needs.

Alongside Michigan, attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin joined in filing the brief.