Courtwatch DC calls on Chief Judge Milton Lee to hold courts to clear standards
Trump’s occupation of DC is causing a surge of baseless arrests. These arrests destabilize people’s lives, especially in DC’s Black and Brown communities. DC Superior Court Chief Judge Milton Lee must hold the courts to clear standards amidst this attack on justice.
On August 3, 2026, Courtwatch DC delivered a letter to DC Superior Court’s Chief Judge Milton Lee calling on Lee to “issue guidance for judges to state the clear and convincing findings explicitly on the record” and “advocate for increased scrutiny of how the USAO defines "violent" or "dangerous" crimes.”
“Under your leadership, the courts can and should serve as a check on government overreach, not a rubber stamp for mass arrests…During this period of extraordinary federal enforcement, the people of DC are depending on you to safeguard our constitutional rights.”
Key Context:
As of June 2026, the police participating in Trump’s illegitimate occupation have now arrested more than 13,000 people in DC.
Black and Brown community members comprise, on average, approximately 85% of these arrests.
The weekly average DC jail population is 73% higher than it was in 2023.
Arrests under Trump’s occupation have involved fabricated charges, illegal searches, and violations of constitutional rights.
A coalition of lawyers and judges have filed a formal ethics complaint against U.S. Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro for abusing her office, pursuing indictments for political views, prosecuting without evidence, and routinely failing to find probable cause.