Judge Temporarily Blocks Federal Takeover of DC Police

A federal judge has halted the Trump administration’s attempt to control the police in Washington through an emergency commissioner. During a hearing on Aug. 15, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said that she would allow the Justice Department 45 minutes to rewrite a section of its order granting authority to an emergency commissioner, but would issue an order of her own if necessary. She clarified that control of the police department would reside with the police chief, rather than the emergency commissioner, in the brief interval before the Justice Department rewrote its order. The judge’s order is temporary; she is expected to have another hearing on the issue the following week. An attorney for the Justice Department agreed the department would rewrite the order after Reyes expressed doubt during the hearing about the section granting authority to the emergency commissioner....