President Trump’s push to deploy the National Guard across the U.S. as part of his anti-crime crackdown is being challenged in the courts by several Democrat-run cities that he’s targeted.
Why it matters: Upcoming rulings could redefine the line between presidential power and state authority during public safety disputes.
Here’s where the legal fights stand in each city Trump has targeted:
Chicago
The latest: Attorneys for Illinois argued Monday the Supreme Court should not overturn lower courts’ decisions to temporarily halt National Guard deployment.
State of play: The Trump administration on Friday filed an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to allow federalizing troops to Illinois.
Flashback: Federal judge April Perry issued a 14-day Temporary Restraining Order against deployment to Illinois, determining DOJ attorneys failed to prove the guard was needed to ensure safety in and around Chicago.
- An appellate court upheld that order.
Portland
The latest: The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday Trump can deploy the National Guard to Portland, overturning a lower court’s block.
State of play: The decision reversed U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut’s temporary restraining order extension, which had stopped the deployment.
Flashback: Immergut twice blocked troop deployments, calling Trump’s characterization of Portland as “war ravaged” “simply untethered to the facts.”
- It’s unclear when troops may actually arrive in the city, as the ruling only applies to the Immergut’s first restraining order.
Washington, D.C.
The latest: Attorney General Brian Schwalb said in a court filing Monday he believes troops may stay in D.C. until at least summer of 2026.
State of play: The Trump administration hasn’t specified how long the 2,500 Guard members will stay in the capital.
- Schwalb’s filing, set for a hearing Friday, seeks to end the Guard’s presence.
Flashback: Trump originally deployed around 800 National Guard members to D.C., citing a need to counter violent crime.
San Francisco
The latest: Trump reiterated his push to send the National Guard to San Francisco on Fox News this weekend.
- “We’re going to go to San Francisco — the difference is I think they want us in San Francisco,” he said during an interview with Maria Bartiromo.
- State of play: Salesforce founder Marc Benioff initially told the New York Times he supported sending troops to SF, comments later echoed by Elon Musk on X, who called downtown SF a “drug zombie apocalypse.”
- Benioff rescinded his comments Friday on X, saying the guard wasn’t necessary and he acted out of an “abundance of caution” over his Dreamforce conference drawing 50,000 attendees.
Editor’s note: Axios Chicago’s Carrie Shepherd contributed reporting.
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