Local DC cases are landing in federal courts. A judge says the results are problematic
August 26, 2025
Hundreds of people have been arrested since President Donald Trump’s crime crackdown flooded the nation’s capital with federal agents and troops. What’s happening to them after their arrests is alarming many defense attorneys — and at least one judge — as the cases stack up in federal courtrooms. Some people facing nonviolent charges have remained jailed for days in Washington, D.C., while waiting for their initial court appearances. Their lawyers believe the government is prosecuting lower-level cases that are typically handled by local authorities and don’t belong in federal court. Prosecutors already have dropped a case amid complaints that the man was illegally searched.