Prof. Jill Hasday Quoted by CNN About Trump’s Threat to Federalize Washington, D.C.

Professor Jill Hasday, Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Centennial Professor in Law, was quoted by CNN about Donald Trump threatening that the federal government will take over and “run” Washington, D.C., after a former Department of Government Efficiency employee was assaulted in an attempted carjacking. But experts say Trump can’t unilaterally federalize D.C., and that calling federal troops into the city would be unusual, especially since the district does not appear to be suffering from a significant crime spike. The U.S. Congress has authority and oversight over D.C., but it ceded some of that power when it passed the Home Rule in 1973, giving some of its ability to govern the city to local government entities, including the mayor and city council. Trump said this week he was going “to look at” overturning Home Rule, saying, “the lawyers are already studying it.” But Prof. Hasday said such an act would require a vote by Congress. She said, “To fully remove local control over D.C., Congress would have to repeal the Home Rule Act. So, if what the president has in mind is complete federal control over D.C., in other words, no possibilities and no room for local control, that would require repealing the Home Rule Act.”