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The city filed a request for a temporary restraining order on Friday, seeking to block U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's order to remove Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith.

The D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb alleges that "the District will suffer devastating and irreparable harms" unless the court intervenes.

The filing says "the Bondi Order violates the Administrative Procedure Act because it is contrary to law, in excess of the Agency Defendants' statutory authority, arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion, and otherwise not in accordance with the law."

The filing also asserts that the "Defendants' actions also exceed their authority under the D.C. Home Rule Act and violate the separation of powers, Take Care Clause, and District Clause of the Constitution."

-ABC News' Beatrice Peterson

D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's order to remove Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith. The city's top lawyer is requesting an afternoon hearing in District Court and an emergency temporary restraining order on Friday.

They claim Bondi used a never-before-used provision of the Home Rule Act to assert federal command over D.C's police force, exceeding the limited authority the president has under the emergency order.

Bondi issued an order Thursday evening formally codifying the federal government's takeover of the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department and designating the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration Terry Cole as "Emergency Police Commissioner."

The lawsuit asks the court to declare that the administration's actions are in violation of the Home Rule Act, the Administrative Procedure Act and the U.S. Constitution. The city is also asking to block Bondi's order, and allow control over the police agency to remain with the mayor.

Schwalb said in a statement to ABC News, "By declaring a hostile takeover of MPD, the Administration is abusing its limited, temporary authority under the Home Rule Act, infringing on the District's right to self-governance and putting the safety of DC residents and visitors at risk."

"The Administration's unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call D.C. home. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it," he added.

-ABC News' Beatrice Peterson

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb are forcefully rejecting U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s late-night order attempting to sideline the local D.C. police chief, calling it unlawful and beyond federal authority.

"It is my opinion that the Bondi Order is unlawful, and that you are not legally obligated to follow it," Schwab wrote in a letter to Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith released on Thursday.

“Regardless of the Bondi Order, no official other than you may exercise all the powers and duties of the Chief of Police or issue any executive orders, general orders, or other written directives that apply to members of MPD," Schwalb said.

According to Schwalb, Section 740 of the Home Rule Act allows the president to direct the D.C. mayor to provide MPD services for special federal emergencies, but it does not authorize the president or a designee to remove or replace the police chef, alter MPD’s chain of command, demand services directly from MPD, rescind or suspend MPD orders or set local enforcement priorities.

Schwalb called Bondi’s move "ultra vires," or beyond legal authority.

"Having been duly appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Council, you are the lawfully appointed Chief of Police of the District of Columbia," Schwalb wrote to Smith. "Therefore, members of MPD must continue to follow your orders and not the orders of any official not appointed by the Mayor."

Bowser echoed that position

.

-ABC News' Beatrice Peterson

Attorney General Pam Bondi issued an order Thursday evening formally codifying the federal government's takeover of the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department and designating the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration as "Emergency Police Commissioner."

The order comes following assertions by city leaders including D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and police Chief Pam Smith that they still maintain control over both the operations of the city's police as well as staffing decisions.

According to the order and information provided by the Justice Department on Thursday, Bondi's directives make clear the federal government's position that DEA Administrator Terry Cole is now serving as the department's "Emergency Police Commissioner" assuming "all the powers and duties" vested in Smith.

The order further states that the police department "must receive approval from Commissioner Cole before issuing any further directives" to the police force.

In addition, Bondi's directive rescinds police policies that aligned with D.C.'s "sanctuary city" laws.

-ABC News' Alex Mallin