A federal appeals court on Saturday blocked the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard in Illinois.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit ruled that members of the National Guard in Illinois right now can remain federalized, but they can not be deployed in the state.
“Members of the National Guard do not need to return to their home states unless further ordered by a court to do so,” they added.
The move came after the Trump administration appealed an earlier decision by a federal judge to temporarily block the deployment of National Guard troops in the state.
In response to Saturday’s ruling, a White House spokesperson indicated that a further appeal was coming.
“Amidst ongoing violent riots and lawlessness, that local leaders like Pritzker have refused to step in to quell, President Trump has exercised his lawful authority to protect federal officers and assets,” Abigail Jackson said in a statement. “President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities and we expect to be vindicated by a higher court.”
Representatives for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.
Hundreds of National Guard troops from Illinois and Texas had originally deployed to Illinois earlier this week at the direction of the Trump administration.
It comes as President Donald Trump has threatened to use the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law, to continue to deploy members of the military in American cities if the courts uphold the deployment of the troops in multiple legal challenges.
Last week, Trump federalized members of the National Guard to deploy troops near Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, saying that the troops would help keep Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in Oregon and Illinois safe and that they would help these cities address crime.
The Democratic governors and mayors of Illinois and Oregon have pushed back on Trump’s moves, with each state engaged in ongoing litigation to block the deployment of National Guard troops in their states.
In response to reports about a growing threat of wildfires in Texas, Pritzker wrote in a post on X that “Texas is preparing emergency resources for wildfires and floods. The Texas National Guard should be THERE — not in Illinois. We stand ready to support their return home so they are best positioned for helping Texans respond to any natural disasters.”
Earlier this year, the Trump administration federalized the California National Guard to quell anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles. That was blocked by a federal judge who ruled in September.
California sued again this month and won when the Trump administration aimed to send California’s National Guard troops to Oregon after a federal judge blocked the deployment of Oregon’s National Guard there.
A three-judge panel for the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in California is currently weighing a case on the deployment of National Guard troops in Oregon. The Trump administration appealed a federal judge’s ruling that blocked the state’s National Guard from being federalized and deployed.
The panel, made up of two Trump appointees and a Clinton appointee, seemed likely to grant the administration’s request that the lower court’s temporary restraining order be reversed, with one judge suggesting Trump, in his capacity as president, should get more deference in his decision-making.
One of the judges said the court would deliver a decision as soon as possible, but did not offer a specific timeline.
Raquel Coronell Uribe contributed.
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