The Department of Justice (DOJ) has decided not to appoint a commissioner to oversee the Washington, D.C. police after a federal judge expressed concerns last Friday.
Lawyers for the government indicated that if they proceed with President Trump’s choice for the role, replacing Terry Cole, who heads the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), they will seek to direct resources from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) based on a newly established presidential emergency department.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes hinted that she might rule the proposed appointments illegal if the administration didn’t reconsider their approach. After a lengthy private discussion lasting nearly two hours, the DOJ agreed to adjust its stance voluntarily, without needing further intervention from the judge.
“We’re rewriting this in the next 45 minutes,” DOJ attorney Yaakov Ross mentioned to the judge.
For now, this decision seems to favor city officials who are attempting to maintain the leadership of MPD Chief Pamerasmith amid ongoing lawsuits.
However, the judge pointed out that the administration would likely find some success in its efforts to have MPD officers assist with immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) tasks.
“If the president declares a state of emergency and wants MPD assistance to apprehend undocumented individuals, I wouldn’t… I’m not sure that’s wrong,” the judge stated.
She indicated that further lawsuits could be filed next week regarding this issue and others.
Meanwhile, the D.C. Attorney General’s office, led by Brian Schwarb, has made it clear that if they are not satisfied with the administration’s revisions, they are prepared to take immediate legal action.
On Monday, in light of what he termed a criminal emergency, Trump invoked the Home Rules Act to assert control over the MPD while deploying the National Guard. The dispute over the MPD has now ended up in court following escalated efforts from the administration, including a new directive from Attorney General Pam Bondy last Thursday.
Bondy stated that Cole would become the MPD’s emergency police chief and would need to approve a new policy directive moving forward, which also affected several MPD practices related to cooperation with immigration enforcement.
Schwarb was swiftly involved in legal proceedings just after this announcement and was on his way to a scheduled hearing in Reyes’ court on Friday afternoon. Reyes, a Biden appointee, remarked during the hearing that she was the first judge in nearly 50 years to consider the emergency clauses invoked by Trump.
“Fuza!” the judge exclaimed.
