Supreme Court rejects Trump's bid to deploy National Guard in Illinois

The Trump administration says troops are needed to protect immigration agents in the Chicago area, a move that local officials strongly object to.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rebuffed the Trump administration over its plan to deploy National Guard troops in Illinois over the strenuous objections of local officials.

The court in an unsigned order turned away an emergency request made by the administration, which said the troops are needed to protect federal agents involved in immigration enforcement in the Chicago area.

Although the decision is a preliminary one involving only Chicago, it will likely bolster similar challenges made to National Guard deployments in other cities, with the opinion setting significant new limits on the president's ability to do so.

"This is an important step in curbing the Trump Administration’s consistent abuse of power and slowing Trump’s march toward authoritarianism," Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, said in a statement Tuesday.

The decision marked a rare defeat for President Donald Trump at the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, after the administration secured a series of high-profile wins this year.