Donald Trump blocked from deploying National Guard in Chicago

A federal judge in Chicago has temporarily halted the Trump administration's plan to deploy federalized National Guard members in Illinois, responding to a lawsuit filed by the state's attorney general.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker lauded the court's decision on social media, criticizing what he perceives as President Donald Trump's overreach.

"Donald Trump is not a king - and his administration is not above the law. Today, the court confirmed what we all know: there is no credible evidence of a rebellion in the state of Illinois. And no place for the National Guard in the streets of American cities like Chicago," Pritzker posted on social media.

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U.S. District Judge April Perry granted Illinois' request for a temporary restraining order to prevent the deployment of the Guard, which will stay in effect for 14 days. It's expected that the Trump administration will appeal this decision.

Judge Perry determined that Trump's order breached the 10th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, as well as the Posse Comitatus Act, a nearly 150-year-old law that restricts the military's role in enforcing domestic laws.

Appointed to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois by President Joe Biden in 2024, Perry stated in her ruling that the federal government's recounting of recent events in Chicago and its suburbs was "simply unreliable.

"I don't find any evidence of impending actually happened," Perry stated, adding that she has "found no credible evidence that there is a danger of rebellion in the state of Illinois."

Perry highlighted four separate decisions made by different neutral parties in the last 48 hours that cast doubt on the Department of Homeland Security's credibility.

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In her condemnation of the president's actions, Perry invoked Alexander Hamilton.

"(The founders) would never believe that it would ever come to pass that one state militia could be sent to another state for the purposes of political retribution," she expressed.

It remains unclear when the temporary restraining order will take effect or its duration. Perry plans to issue another ruling on the case this Friday.

Responding to the ruling, White House Spokesperson Abigail Jackson told The Express U.S. on Thursday that Trump was exercising his "lawful authority" in deploying the Guard.

"Amidst ongoing violent riots and lawlessness, that local leaders like Pritzker have refused to step in to quell, President Trump has exercised his lawful authority to protect federal officers and assets. President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities and we expect to be vindicated by a higher court." Jackson stated.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is currently considering an appeal from the Trump administration, seeking to overturn a lower court's temporary halt on deploying any state's National Guard in Oregon. This legal battle over executive power comes amidst ongoing protests in both Chicago and Portland against Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement.

These demonstrations have resulted in several high-profile confrontations between protestors and masked federal agents outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation centres in both cities. Trump argues that both cities are "war-ravaged" and require National Guard troops to safeguard federal property and ICE officers.

He has even suggested that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Pritzker should be arrested for not consenting to his National Guard deployment. Trump has previously indicated his willingness to invoke the Insurrection Act, a 1807 law that empowers the president to deploy active duty military forces on American soil when state law enforcement fails to quell an insurrection or actively defies federal law.