The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard to Illinois and Governor Pritzker called the ruling a “big win” in curbing Trump’s “consistent abuse of power.”
The U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling on Tuesday in a lawsuit brought by the Illinois Attorney General against President Donald Trump.
The suit came after the Trump administration decided to send hundreds of National Guard troops, from both Illinois and Texas, to the Chicago area in October.
The Trump administration argued that federal immigration agents have been obstructed, threatened and assaulted as they attempt to carry out immigration enforcement operations in the Chicago area.
They also argued that the ICE processing facility in Broadview has been the site of frequent and sometimes violent protests where federal property was damaged and federal officers had their safety threatened.
Trump relied on a law that empowers him to federalize members of the Guard if he is “unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.”
A federal judge in Chicago issued a temporary restraining order barring the federalization and deployment of the National Guard in Illinois, leading to the Trump administration appealing to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court ruled against the administration on Tuesday in a 4-3 ruling, saying that the term “regular forces” refers to the regular forces of the U.S. Military and not civilian law enforcement such as ICE, as the administration had argued.
“At this preliminary stage, the Government has failed toidentify a source of authority that would allow the militaryto execute the laws in Illinois,” the court said in its ruling.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called the ruling a “big win for Illinois and American democracy.”
“I am glad the Supreme Court has ruled that Donald Trump did not have the authority to deploy the federalized guard in Illinois. This is an important step in curbing the Trump Administration’s consistent abuse of power and slowing Trump’s march toward authoritarianism,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker said American cities, suburbs and communities should not have to face 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,” Pritzker said.
“While we welcome this ruling, we also are clear-eyed that the Trump Administration’s pursuit for unchecked power is continuing across the country. Illinois will remain vigilant, defend the rights of our people, and stand up to further abuses of authority by Donald Trump and his cronies,” the governor added.