Feds' "hostile takeover" in D.C. sparks suit: Judge schedules speedy hearing
The clash between D.C.'s local AG and Pam Bondi will take place at 2 p.m. ET.
A federal judge scheduled a speedy hearing today on a newly filed lawsuit by D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb, denouncing what he described as his federal counterpart’s announcement of a “hostile takeover” of the Metropolitan Police Department.
“By declaring a hostile takeover of MPD, the Administration is abusing its limited, temporary authority under the Home Rule Act, infringing on the district’s right to self-governance and putting the safety of DC residents and visitors at risk,” Schwalb wrote in a statement. “The Administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call DC home. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it.”
The crux of the lawsuit challenges Donald Trump’s announcement that D.C. police would be under federal control.
“In violation of the plain language of Section 740, the President announced on August 11, 2025, that he was ‘placing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control,’ and that Attorney General Pamela J. Bondi was ‘taking command’ of MPD ‘as of this moment.’ He also stated that he was appointing Terrance Cole, the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (‘DEA’), as the ‘interim commissioner’ of the MPD. Attorney General Bondi later added that Gady Serralta, the Director of the United States Marshals Service (‘USMS’), would be ‘supervising command and control’ of ‘the entire operation’ of MPD.”
The lawsuit lists Trump, Bondi, Cole, Serralta, the Justice Department, Drug Enforcement Agency and U.S. Marshals Service as defendants. You can read the full complaint here.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, who previously found the Trump administration’s ban on transgender troops was likely unconstitutional, quickly convened a hearing at 2 p.m. Eastern Time on the matter.
The hearing will be accessible virtually at the following public access number: 1-833-990-9400, and the meeting ID is 787605272.
Editor’s Note:
As the hearing begins, I will be interviewing former DOGE engineer Sahil Lavingia at the 2025 HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) Conference at St. Johns University in Queens, N.Y.
You can watch the interview remotely here.
Adam, Thank you so much for this information! I’ll be listening to the hearing thanks to you and the information you’ve provided. I appreciate you and your work so much! I’m in NoVa. This is happening SO CLOSE to me. It’s frightening to see.