Don’t miss the full story from our staff writers, whose reportage is the basis of this article.
President Trump announced Wednesday he is withdrawing National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, Oregon, following a Supreme Court setback and ongoing legal challenges to his deployment efforts.
The decision comes after the high court rejected his request to deploy guardsmen in Chicago last week, marking a rare defeat for the administration.
Trump defended the deployments on Truth Social, claiming crime had been “greatly reduced” by the National Guard’s presence and that the cities “were GONE if it weren’t for the Federal Government stepping in.” He suggested he might redeploy troops “perhaps in a much different and stronger form” when crime rates rise again.
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against the Chicago deployment, with the majority finding the administration failed to identify legal authority for military law enforcement. The court determined the situation didn’t meet the extreme circumstances required under the Posse Comitatus Act, which permits National Guard federalization only during rebellion or when regular forces cannot execute federal laws.
The decision saw an unusual split among conservative justices, with Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Kavanaugh and Barrett joining the three liberal justices in the majority. Justices Alito, Thomas, and Gorsuch dissented. Kavanaugh, a Trump appointee, agreed with blocking the Chicago deployment but advocated for broader presidential latitude in future scenarios.
Administration lawyers argued the troops were necessary to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents amid what they described as obstruction from local officials, judges, and protesters. However, the court concluded the administration hadn’t demonstrated that regular military forces were unable to maintain order, as required by law.
Illinois and Chicago challenged the deployment, arguing Trump violated the Constitution’s 10th Amendment and the Posse Comitatus Act. They accused the president of having an ulterior motive: punishing political opponents in Democratic-led cities.
Troops had already been withdrawn from Los Angeles following a federal court order, while a federal judge permanently blocked deployment in Oregon. In Washington D.C., Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued to halt the deployment of over 2,000 guardsmen.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta celebrated the decision, criticizing what he called Trump’s use of Guard troops as “political pawns” and vowing continued resistance to federal overreach.
Trump criticized Democratic mayors and governors as “greatly incompetent,” expressing disbelief they would want troops removed given what he claimed was “great progress” in reducing crime.
Read more: Trump pulling National Guard from three cities after hitting legal roadblocks
This article is written with the assistance of generative artificial intelligence based solely on Washington Times original reporting and wire services. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Ann Wog, Managing Editor for Digital, at awog@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
