Donald Trump blocked from deploying National Guard in Chicago

A federal judge in Chicago has temporarily stopped the Trump administration from deploying federalized National Guard troops in Illinois, following a lawsuit filed by the state’s attorney general.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker welcomed the ruling on social media, calling it a major win for state sovereignty and a rebuke to what he described as President Donald Trump’s overreach.

“Donald Trump is not a king and his administration is not above the law,” Pritzker wrote. “The court confirmed what we all know: there’s no credible evidence of a rebellion in Illinois, and no justification for sending the National Guard into cities like Chicago.”

U.S. District Judge April Perry, who was appointed by President Joe Biden in 2024, issued a temporary restraining order halting the deployment for 14 days. The Trump administration is expected to appeal the decision.

Judge Perry ruled that the order violated the 10th and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution and the Posse Comitatus Act a 150-year-old law that limits the use of military forces in domestic law enforcement.

In her written decision, Perry sharply criticized the federal government’s claims about instability in Chicago, calling them “simply unreliable.”

“I find no credible evidence of an imminent rebellion in the state of Illinois,” Perry stated, noting that multiple independent decisions in the past two days have questioned the credibility of the Department of Homeland Security’s narrative.

She even invoked Alexander Hamilton, reminding that the Founders “would never have imagined a future where one state’s militia could be sent into another for political retribution.”

Meanwhile, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson defended the president’s move, saying Trump was acting within his lawful authority to protect federal officers and property.

“Amid ongoing riots and lawlessness that local leaders have refused to stop, President Trump has the duty to safeguard federal assets,” Jackson told The Express U.S., expressing confidence that the administration will be vindicated in a higher court.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is also reviewing a separate Trump administration appeal concerning National Guard deployments in Oregon, as similar protests have erupted in both Chicago and Portland over the president’s immigration enforcement policies.

Tensions have escalated as demonstrators clashed with federal agents outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities in both cities. Trump continues to argue that local leaders have “failed to maintain order,” even suggesting that officials like Governor Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson should face arrest for refusing to comply.

Legal experts say the case could become a landmark test of presidential power and the limits of the Insurrection Act of 1807, which allows a president to deploy troops on U.S. soil in cases of insurrection or defiance of federal law.