Judge Blocks Trump’s Plan to Send National Guard to Chicago

Screenshot from YouTube - LiveNowFromFox

President of the United States, Donald Trump is facing more opposition from state leaders now than ever before. Not too long ago, as stated in yesterday's article, a lawsuit was made against president Trump for federal overreach, as he attempted to send National Guard Troops to Washington D.C for the purpose of criminal case crackdowns.

The reason for the lawsuit imposed on him was that his decision undermines local governments and poses a threat to state rights.

On Thursday, October 10, 2025, which was yesterday from the time of posting this article, a federal judge stopped President Donald Trump’s plan to send National Guard troops to Chicago. The decision came after Illinois and Chicago leaders said the move was both illegal and unnecessary.

US District Judge April Perry made her ruling on Thursday after listening to over two hours of arguments.

Her new order basically blocks the Trump administration from deploying or taking control of the Illinois National Guard for two whole weeks. She said that there was no credible evidence that a rebellion or danger existed in the state and thus, sending in troops is unnecessary and would be illegal if done.

The Trump administration's argument for trying to send in troops was that they were needed to fight crime and also support the administration's immigration law enforcement but the local leaders strongly disagreed with this argument.

Imagine if States had no power and it was up to the ruling government alone, anything would be possible.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said Donald Trump is not a king and his administration is not above the law of the country. Since the court had confirmed there was no reason to send troops to Illinois cities, he can't overrule what the court says just because he's president.

Chicago’s Mayor, Brandon Johnson actually called the ruling a win for the people of Chicago and a win for the rule of law. He made a promise to keep fighting what he called the Trump administration’s war on Chicago.

The lawyers for Illinois said that Trump's administration sending troops without the state’s consent created a constitutional crisis and Trump had exceeded his authority and also ignored the warnings from both city and state officials.

During the court seating, a Justice Department lawyer named Eric Hamilton said there was tragic lawlessness in Chicago and rioters were threatening federal officers but Judge Perry said these federal government’s claims were
unreliable and clearly exaggerated.

Before this ruling anyways, hundreds of National Guard members from Texas and Illinois had already arrived near Chicago and had been mandated for 60 days under US Northern Command.

The White House was in complete defense of president Trump’s decision, saying he had the right to protect federal property and federal officers. A spokesperson also said the president would appeal the ruling.

It's not just a matter of Trump's attempt at a federal overreach and having influence over the States but it's also a matter of political party opposition in the country. Several Democratic led states which includes California and Oregon, are also fighting similar troop deployments in court. They know if Trump uses the troops, he could take control and impose policies that could go against state specific laws intended to protect the people.

Legal experts said that the decision in stopping Trump from doing this aligns with their long standing Posse Comitatus Act, which limits the military’s role in domestic law enforcement.

This ruling is evidence that at least checks and balances still work and that courts can stand up to government overreach when necessary. This is true democracy, where rights of states are still preserved if the president decides to use more power than he has been given, the key word here is "given power".