Thank Supreme Court for Blocking Unauthorized National Guard Deployment in Illinois

I am writing to express my strong support for the Supreme Court's decision on Tuesday to block President Trump from sending National Guard troops into Illinois without Governor JB Pritzker's consent. This ruling upholds fundamental principles of federalism and the proper limits on military power within our borders. The Court correctly found that the administration failed to identify legal authority allowing the military to execute laws in Illinois. The president could not explain why the situation warranted an exception to the Posse Comitatus Act, which exists specifically to prevent the military from acting as domestic law enforcement. Two lower courts, including a three-judge appeals panel with judges appointed by Trump, George W. Bush, and Obama, all agreed that protests in the Chicago area did not constitute a "rebellion or danger of rebellion" against the United States government. This decision protects Illinois residents from the inappropriate militarization of our communities. As Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul stated, the extremely limited circumstances under which the federal government can call up the militia over a state's objection simply do not exist in Illinois. The streets of Illinois should remain free of armed National Guard members deployed against the governor's wishes. The broader pattern of these deployments across multiple states, from Oregon to California to Tennessee, demonstrates why judicial oversight matters. Federal judges in Portland and Los Angeles have similarly blocked these deployments for lacking lawful basis. Even in Washington D.C., where more than 2,000 troops have been on the streets since August, courts have questioned the legal foundation. I urge you to publicly support this Supreme Court decision and to oppose any legislative efforts that would expand presidential authority to federalize state National Guard units without gubernatorial consent. The balance between federal and state authority must be preserved, and military force should not be used to execute domestic law enforcement functions absent genuine emergency conditions that meet constitutional standards.