The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a temporary order preventing the federal government from deploying National Guard troops to Chicago, siding with Illinois officials who challenged the move as unconstitutional. The decision pauses the deployment while the legal dispute continues in lower courts.
In an unsigned order, the Court granted emergency relief requested by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul. The ruling stops the Trump administration from moving forward with a plan to send several hundred National Guard personnel into the city to support federal law enforcement operations.
Three justices-Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch-dissented from the order. The remaining justices did not issue a written opinion explaining the majority’s reasoning, a common practice in emergency rulings.
State officials argued that the proposed deployment overstepped constitutional boundaries by placing state-controlled military forces under federal direction without the consent of Illinois authorities. They maintained that such action conflicts with long-standing legal limits governing the use of military forces for domestic law enforcement.
The administration defended the deployment as a public safety measure, asserting that federal authorities possess the power to act when local conditions warrant intervention. However, the Court’s order suggests skepticism toward that interpretation, at least until the underlying legal questions are fully examined.
Legal analysts say the ruling could have broader consequences beyond Illinois. A similar legal challenge is pending in Oregon, where state officials are attempting to prevent a possible National Guard deployment to Portland. The Supreme Court’s intervention in the Chicago case is expected to influence how that lawsuit proceeds.
At the center of the dispute are federal statutes such as the Insurrection Act and the Posse Comitatus Act, which define when and how military forces may be used within U.S. borders. The upcoming lower-court hearings will likely focus on how those laws apply to modern domestic security operations.
For now, the National Guard will remain under state control in Illinois, and no federal deployment will occur unless future court rulings allow it. The case is expected to continue drawing national attention as it moves through the judicial system.
