Trump's Plan to Deploy National Guard to Chicago Under Fire as Courts Weigh In on Insurrection Act
President Donald Trump has floated the idea of invoking the Insurrection Act, a 218-year-old law that grants him broad powers to deploy troops within US borders to quell rebellions and enforce laws. However, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul are fighting this move in court, arguing that there is no insurrection going on in Chicago.
The Insurrection Act gives the president the authority to activate troops without congressional approval in response to "unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblages, or rebellion against the authority of the United States." The law has been used 29 times by presidents since its inception, but not in recent years. Trump's move would set a new precedent for using the military to enforce domestic laws.
Critics say that invoking the Insurrection Act would allow Trump to use his discretion on what constitutes a threat and deploy troops without oversight. "It's basically Trump saying, 'I'm the president. I get to decide what constitutes a threat, and I get to decide what to do about it,'" said Professor Dan Maurer, an expert in national security law.
Experts warn that this move would have far-reaching consequences for civil liberties and the separation of powers. "We are not a society that uses the military for domestic law enforcement," said Professor Steven Schwinn. "To invoke the Insurrection Act and to change that norm would be a substantial change in the norms and culture of the United States."
The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 bars the military from being used to enforce civilian laws, but Trump's lawyers argue that Section 12406 of US Code defers to the president on this issue. However, many see this as a thinly veiled attempt to bypass the law and use the military as a domestic police force.
As the courts weigh in on this matter, critics are watching closely to ensure that the Insurrection Act is not used to trample civil liberties and undermine the rule of law.
President Donald Trump has floated the idea of invoking the Insurrection Act, a 218-year-old law that grants him broad powers to deploy troops within US borders to quell rebellions and enforce laws. However, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul are fighting this move in court, arguing that there is no insurrection going on in Chicago.
The Insurrection Act gives the president the authority to activate troops without congressional approval in response to "unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblages, or rebellion against the authority of the United States." The law has been used 29 times by presidents since its inception, but not in recent years. Trump's move would set a new precedent for using the military to enforce domestic laws.
Critics say that invoking the Insurrection Act would allow Trump to use his discretion on what constitutes a threat and deploy troops without oversight. "It's basically Trump saying, 'I'm the president. I get to decide what constitutes a threat, and I get to decide what to do about it,'" said Professor Dan Maurer, an expert in national security law.
Experts warn that this move would have far-reaching consequences for civil liberties and the separation of powers. "We are not a society that uses the military for domestic law enforcement," said Professor Steven Schwinn. "To invoke the Insurrection Act and to change that norm would be a substantial change in the norms and culture of the United States."
The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 bars the military from being used to enforce civilian laws, but Trump's lawyers argue that Section 12406 of US Code defers to the president on this issue. However, many see this as a thinly veiled attempt to bypass the law and use the military as a domestic police force.
As the courts weigh in on this matter, critics are watching closely to ensure that the Insurrection Act is not used to trample civil liberties and undermine the rule of law.
Can you believe they're gonna have a special "Insurrection Act" themed burger? Like, what even is that? 
I bet it'll be super spicy. And omg have you seen the new sneakers dropped by Kanye? I'm lowkey tempted to cop them, but like, 500 bucks is just crazy 
Come on, Trump wants to deploy troops to Chicago like it's a war zone? This whole thing smells like a power grab to me 
. I mean, there's no insurrection going on in Chicago, just some peaceful protests and unrest 
. And what about the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878? Isn't that supposed to prevent this kind of thing from happening? 
It's basically Trump saying he can do whatever he wants without Congress or anyone else telling him otherwise 
. I don't trust this at all, it sets a super bad precedent for future presidents to abuse their power 
. We need to stand up against this and make sure our civil liberties aren't trampled 
.
To keep the military out of domestic law enforcement. Trump's lawyers are trying to twist that, but it's not gonna fly. And if they do get away with it... well, that's just gonna set a bad precedent and erode civil liberties even further. It's like, we're already living in a world where the president can make all these executive orders without congress agreeing... what's next? 
he's literally trying to turn chicago into a military zone lol why does he need to deploy national guard when there's already police and courts in place?! this whole insurrection act thing sounds like a total power grab to me 
. This is like something out of a dystopian movie, you know? The fact that he wants to use the Insurrection Act without Congress' approval is giving me major anxiety 
. I mean, we're talking about invoking a 218-year-old law that basically gives him carte blanche to deploy troops and enforce laws without oversight 
. We're talking about civil liberties here, folks! The Posse Comitatus Act is in place for a reason 
.
. I don't want to see Trump trying to use the military as a domestic police force 
. We need to protect our civil liberties, man! 
it's not like there's some major insurrection going on in chicago, governor pritzker and attorney general raoul are totally right to fight this move in court 
It's like somethin' outta a bad movie, you know? 
... Can't just have one guy makin' all these decisions and expectin' everyone else to roll with it 
. It's like, we're already living in a world where our rights are being slowly taken away, and now he wants to add the military to the mix? That's just, like, wrong on so many levels 
meanwhile, governor pritzker and attorney general raoul are just doing their jobs, fighting for what's right... sounds like someone's getting ahead of themselves on this one