New Delhi, Aug. 15 -- The District of Columbia has launched a legal battle against the Donald Trump administration, seeking to block what city officials describe as an unlawful and dangerous federal takeover of its police force. The lawsuit, filed on Friday by Washington DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb, accuses President Donald Trump of overstepping his constitutional authority and jeopardising public safety.

The hearing in DC federal court has begun with Judge Ana C. Reyes, a Biden appointee, presiding the emergency hearing on the city's suit.

At the heart of the dispute is President Trump's decision to invoke rarely used emergency powers to place the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) under direct federal control. The move, announ...