MONTGOMERY, AL — Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado supporting the dismissal of Colorado’s lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s decision to permanently locate U.S. Space Command headquarters at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the brief argues that the President has the legal authority to determine the location of military headquarters and that Colorado’s lawsuit should be dismissed.
“Colorado is asking a federal court to override the Commander in Chief on a national security decision because they don’t like the outcome. That’s not a legal argument, its sore loser politics dressed up in a lawsuit,” Marshall said in a statement. “Despite Biden’s failed attempt at playing politics, we recognize and respect executive decision making, not legal delays of our country’s national security. It’s time for Colorado to respect the same principle now that the final decision has been made.”
The dispute over the permanent headquarters for U.S. Space Command began in 2019 when the U.S. Air Force conducted a nationwide selection process to identify the most suitable location. According to the Attorney General’s Office, the Air Force identified Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville as its top choice based on mission requirements, cost savings, and site evaluation criteria.
In January 2021, then-President Trump accepted the Air Force’s recommendation and designated Huntsville as the permanent headquarters location.
After President Joe Biden took office, the administration directed a new review of the selection. The Attorney General’s Office said that review, completed in late 2022, again identified Huntsville as the Air Force’s preferred location. However, in July 2023, President Biden announced that U.S. Space Command would remain in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The White House stated at the time that the decision was based on presidential authority. Investigations by the Government Accountability Office and the Department of Defense Inspector General reviewed aspects of the site selection process. Reports published during that period also included claims from unnamed administration officials that political considerations related to Alabama’s abortion law influenced the decision, though the White House did not publicly cite that as its reason.
Following his return to office, President Trump issued a new decision on Sept. 2, 2025, redesignating Redstone Arsenal as the permanent headquarters for U.S. Space Command.
Colorado later filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to overturn that decision. Marshall’s amicus brief asks the court to dismiss the case, arguing the President’s decision falls within executive authority.
