““Is the President using powers DC’s unique status already gives him, or going beyond them?” That lets students weigh evidence about “expanding” power rather than starting from the conclusion. 90-minute lesson: “How much power does the President have over DC?” Do Now (10 min): “Your state vs. DC.” Pose three scenarios: Who can command the National Guard in Maryland? Who controls Maryland’s police? Who appoints Maryland’s local judges? Students predict, then guess whether DC differs. This sets up the central idea that DC is not a state. Mini-lesson (15 min): Where presidential power over DC comes from. Students fill in a three-column organizer: the source of power, what it allows, and its limits. The District Clause (Article I, Section 8): gives Congress, not the President, “exclusive” legislative power over the federal district. Ask students why that matters when the President acts. The Home Rule Act: includes an emergency provision letting the President direct DC police for a limited time. Have students find its limits in the text. Command of the DC National Guard: unlike a governor, the President directly commands it. Appointments: the President nominates DC’s local judges and the U.S. Attorney who prosecutes local crimes. Remember that this covers existing, legal authority, which matters for the debate that follows. A short timeline strip (appointed commissioners until 1967, Home Rule 1973) shows this isn’t new territory. Case study carousel (25 min): Three cases, 8 minutes each. Small groups rotate through source packets of one page each, answering the same questions: What did the President or administration do? What power was claimed? Who objected, and on what grounds? What was the outcome so far? The police takeover (August 2025). The administration announced control of the police department while activating National Guard troops, with DC’s status as a congressionally established federal district giving the President a window to assert more control than in other cities. DC went to court, and the administration agreed to leave the police chief in charge, while the Attorney General directed police to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement regardless of any city law. This makes a good “partial retreat” example for students to analyze. yahoo yahoo The National Guard deployment. It began at about 800 troops and grew to roughly 5,000 at its peak. A district judge found the deployment unlawful, but a unanimous appeals panel paused that ruling, concluding the administration was likely to prevail, while noting that its ruling was limited and had not resolved Posse Comitatus Act questions. The case remains active: the appeals court heard arguments on October 14, 2026. Trump administration partially retreats from a takeover of Washington's police. Here's what to know +4 Proposed bills in Congress. Lawmakers weighed 14 bills, including some that would give the President sole authority to appoint DC judges and the city’s attorney general, along with bail and juvenile charging changes. Here students separate what the President can do from what Congress could change by statute. fox5dc Structured Academic Controversy (30 min). Pairs prepare one side, then switch sides, then drop roles and write a joint position. Side A (broad presidential authority): DC is a federal district under Congress’s control, the President commands the Guard there, crime and safety are legitimate federal interests in the nation’s capital, and the court of appeals found the administration likely to win. Side B (limits): Home Rule exists to leave local matters like policing to local officials, the emergency provision is time-limited, a district court found the deployment unlawful, and DC residents have no voting representation to check these actions. End with students individually answering a CER prompt: “Does the evidence show the President expanding power over DC, or using existing power? Use two of the three cases.” Exit ticket (10 min): What’s one fact that would change your mind? This reinforces that the legal questions are still open. Teaching notes Both sides need real evidence in the packets. Supporters’ strongest points are the legal authority and the safety rationale; critics’ are Home Rule, the district court ruling, and the lack of congressional representation. Students will likely have strong feelings, so the “what would change your mind” structure helps. Keep the legal question separate from the policy question. “Is it legal?” (courts) and “Is it a good idea?” (voters and officials) are different, and the lesson works best when students label which one they’re arguing. Verify current facts the night before. Several of these are unresolved, including the appeals decision and the congressional bills.”