Biden-appointed judge Ana Reyes, who is overseeing Washington D.C.’s lawsuit against the Trump administration, has ordered the DOJ to change their order asserting leadership of the D.C. police department.
During a hearing on Aug. 15, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said that she would give the Justice Department until 6.30 p.m. ET to rewrite a section of its order granting authority to an emergency commissioner, but would issue an order of her own if necessary.
The DoJ attorney agreed to rewrite the order by 6:30 p.m.
Attorney General Pam Bondi had appointed DEA chief Terry Cole as the new emergency police commissioner. Reyes had questions about that so that was adjusted.
Cole now works directly for Bondi and will be requesting services from the DC police department.
Politico reported that Washington officials and the Justice Department negotiated a deal at a judge’s urging Friday that prevented full federal control of the city’s police department over the weekend, but left underlying legal disputes unresolved.
The rewritten order will name Cole as Bondi’s “designee for requesting services” from the police department.
“We think that solves the problem and that’s what we’re planning to do immediately,” Justice Department attorney Yaakov Roth said.
“In the interim, Mr. Cole is not going to be able to direct police department individuals to do anything,” Reyes, a Biden appointee, said. “He’s going to have to go through the mayor.”
Reyes indicated she will hold a hearing next week on other remaining legal questions.
Homeless camps and graffiti sites are being removed.
The New York Post reports today that 75 camps have been removed this week.
United States Park Police have removed dozens of tents since the president penned the “Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful” executive order in March.
Authorities have also scrubbed up to 80 graffiti sites from Capitol Hill Parks as of Aug 6 https://t.co/vwohq4nkyX
— Elaine S (@lainey116) August 15, 2025
The New York Times is very unhappy about the homeless being removed. They think it’s fine that homeless have taken over a public park.
However, they quoted one homeless Trump voter.
“Trump has taken away two — not one, two — of my tents,” Mr. Barnes [a homeless man] said. Still, he added, he voted for Trump before and would do so again, because of the president’s desire to keep Washington clean and beautiful.
Homeless camps are being torn down in DC
Did you vote for this? pic.twitter.com/GagSzYoKlg
— TONY™ (@TONYxTWO) August 15, 2025
