On Tuesday, the Supreme Court denied the Trump administration’s emergency request to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, a move aimed at bolstering its immigration crackdown.
## Supreme Court Decision
The Court refused to overturn a ruling by U.S. District Judge April Perry that had blocked the deployment of troops. An appeals court had also declined to intervene, and the high court took more than two months to issue its order. Three justices-Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch-publicly dissented.
## Reactions from Illinois Officials
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued a statement praising the decision. He said, “I am pleased that the streets of Illinois will remain free of armed National Guard members as our litigation continues in the courts.” Raoul also recalled the constitutional division of militia responsibility: “Nearly 250 years ago, the framers of our nation’s Constitution carefully divided responsibility over the country’s militia, today’s U.S. National Guard, between the federal government and the states – believing it impossible that a president would use one state’s militia against another state. The extremely limited circumstances under which the federal government can call up the militia over a state’s objection do not exist in Illinois.”
Governor J.B. Pritzker called the order a “big win for Illinois and American democracy” and an “important step in curbing the Trump Administration’s consistent abuse of power and slowing Trump’s march toward authoritarianism.” He added, “American cities, suburbs, and communities should not have to faced masked federal agents asking for their papers, judging them for how they look or sound, and living in fear that President can deploy the military to their streets. The brave men and women of our National Guard should never be used for political theater and deserve to be with their families and communities, especially during the holidays, and ready to serve overseas or at home when called upon during times of immense need.”
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson countered that the president had activated the National Guard to protect federal personnel and property from “violent rioters.” She said, “Nothing in today’s ruling detracts from that core agenda. The Administration will continue working day in and day out to safeguard the American public.”
## Background on the Deployment
The administration had sought the order to allow deployment of troops from Illinois and Texas. The Texas contingent of about 200 National Guard troops was later sent home from Chicago. Trump’s administration argued the troops were needed “to protect federal personnel and property from violent resistance against the enforcement of federal immigration laws.”
Judge Perry found no substantial evidence of a “danger of rebellion” brewing in Illinois and no reason to believe protests had impeded the administration’s immigration crackdown. She blocked the deployment for two weeks, then in October extended the order indefinitely while the Supreme Court reviewed the case.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in the west Chicago suburb of Broadview has been the site of tense protests. Federal agents have previously used tear gas and other chemical agents on protesters and journalists. Last week authorities arrested 21 protesters and said four officers were injured outside the Broadview facility; the arrests were made by local authorities.
## Other National Legal Battles
The Illinois case is one of several legal battles over National Guard deployments. District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb is suing to halt the deployments of more than 2,000 guardsmen in the nation’s capital. Forty-five states have filed in federal court in that case, with 23 supporting the administration’s actions and 22 supporting the attorney general’s lawsuit.
More than 2,200 troops from several Republican-led states remain in Washington, although the crime emergency Trump declared in August ended a month later. A federal judge in Oregon permanently blocked the deployment of National Guard troops there, and all 200 troops from California were being sent home from Oregon, an official said.
A state court in Tennessee ruled in favor of Democratic officials who sued to stop the ongoing Guard deployment in Memphis, which Trump has called a replica of his crackdown on Washington, D.C.
In California, a judge in September said deployment in the Los Angeles area was illegal. By that point, just 300 of the thousands of troops sent there remained, and the judge did not order them to leave. The Trump administration has appealed the California and Oregon rulings to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
## Key Takeaways
– The Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, citing lack of evidence of rebellion and constitutional militia limits.
– Illinois leaders celebrated the decision, while the White House defended the deployment as necessary for federal property protection.
– Similar legal challenges continue nationwide, with courts in Washington, Oregon, Tennessee, and California reviewing or blocking Guard deployments.
The ruling is not a final decision but signals that the high court may influence future lawsuits challenging the president’s use of the National Guard in Democratic-led cities.
