The Supreme Court deals Trump a blow on his deployment of the National Guard to Democratic-run cities

Dec. 24, 2025

The ruling means that, at least for now, President Donald J. Trump (R) needs a governor's permission to deploy the National Guard. The "emergency docket" case before the U.S. Supreme Court centered on the Trump administration's deployment of the National Guard to Chicago over the objection of Gov. J. B. Pritzker (D-Ill.). Trump has claimed that Democratic-run cities were lawless and required military intervention to restore order and protect Federal operations and facilities.

Further Reading :

• How a Scholar Nudged the Supreme Court Toward Its Troop Deployment Ruling [The New York Times]
  Dec. 24, 2025 — Accepting an argument from a law professor that no party to the case had made, the Supreme Court handed the Trump administration a stinging loss that could lead to more aggressive tactics.
• Supreme Court rules against Trump in National Guard case [NPR]
  Dec. 23, 2025 — The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against President Trump on Tuesday, refusing to reinstate, for now, Trump's ability to send National Guard troops into Illinois over the objections of its governor.
• Trump authorizes National Guard in Chicago as judge temporarily blocks his plan to deploy federal troops in Portland [CNN]
  Oct. 6, 2025 — The ongoing battle between the Trump administration and Democrat-led cities intensified this weekend, with the White House announcing authorization for hundreds of National Guard members to be sent to Chicago and a federal judge in Oregon hitting pause on the president’s plan to deploy federal troops in Portland.

Key Words :

• Donald J Trump
• J.B. Pritzker
• Martin S. Lederman
• National Guard
• U.S. Supreme Court