SCOTUS blocks Trump Administration’s plans to deploy National Guard troops to Illinois
WASHINGTON (NBC, KYMA) - The Supreme Court blocked the Trump Administration's plans to deploy National Guard troops in Illinois, over the arguments of local officials.
It is a rare defeat for President Donald Trump from this court. Gov. JB Pritzker (D-Ill.) celebrating the ruling, calling it a win for democracy, a ruling that may have ramifications for future administration moves.
The Trump Administration is weighing its next moves Wednesday after the Supreme Court blocked an effort to deploy National Guard troops in Illinois in a crime crackdown.
Gov. Pritzker called the ruling a win for democracy and an "important step in curbing the Trump administration's consistent abuse of power," according to a post on X.
He has vocally opposed troops coming in to Chicago, saying its not necessary and not what residents want.
"They want civilian law enforcement when they need them and jobs and after school programs for kids in the neighborhoods. They do not want Donald Trump to occupy their communities," Pritzker expressed.
A White House spokesperson writing that President Trump "activated the National Guard to protect federal law enforcement officers, and to ensure rioters did not destroy federal buildings and property. Nothing in today's ruling detracts from that core agenda."
The spokesperson also noted the troops support immigration enforcement officers and that the administration will keep working to safeguard the public.
Trump has long defended his National Guard strategy saying, "We have the right to do it because I have an obligation to protect this country."
The justices rejected the Trump Administration's claims that Chicago has become so lawless, it justifies invoking a law allowing the president to call National Guard troops into federal service in extreme situations like a rebellion.
The ruling is a rare rebuke from the conservative Supreme Court, and while it's preliminary, and only for Illinois, it's likely to bolster similar challenges to national guard deployments in other American cities.
Other cities that have challenged the National Guard deployments include Los Angeles, Portland, Oregon, and Washington D.C.
