❓WHAT HAPPENED: Two federal courts ruled against actions taken by the Trump administration involving National Guard deployments in Illinois and the withholding of funding for New York City.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D), New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, U.S. District Judge April M. Perry (Joe Biden appointee), and U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan (Bill Clinton appointee).
📍WHEN & WHERE: Rulings were issued on October 16, 2025, affecting Illinois and New York.
💬KEY QUOTE: “This is about control,” Governor Pritzker complained of Trump’s efforts to restore order and protect federal law enforcement in Chicago.
🎯IMPACT: The rulings limit presidential authority over National Guard deployment and federal funding, setting the stage for further legal battles.
The Trump administration faced two legal defeats Thursday as federal courts blocked efforts to deploy the National Guard in Illinois and withhold federal funding from New York City.
In Illinois, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld a lower court order issued by U.S. District Judge April M. Perry—a Joe Biden appointee—preventing the federalization of the Illinois National Guard. The court ruled that President Donald J. Trump’s actions did not meet the legal standards under 10 U.S.C. § 12406, which permits the President to mobilize National Guard troops during a rebellion or the threat of one. “The facts do not justify the President’s actions in Illinois under § 12406,” the court claimed, adding that “political opposition is not rebellion.”
This decision came after a Texas National Guard unit had already arrived near Chicago. While those troops remain under federal command, the court prohibited their activation until the case is resolved. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D), who strongly opposed the deployment, alleged, “For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control.”
The Illinois case is the latest in a series of legal battles over Trump’s efforts to assert federal control over state-based military forces. Earlier this month, a federal judge in Oregon blocked a similar attempt to send troops into Portland to protect U.S. federal law enforcement personnel and buildings, ruling that the situation did not justify military intervention. In June, California Governor Gavin Newsom lost a suit challenging Trump’s federalization of the California Guard, though the court warned such actions are still subject to judicial review.
In a separate ruling on Thursday, Bill Clinton-appointed U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ordered the federal government to restore $33.9 million in funding to New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The Trump administration had withheld the funds due to the city’s sanctuary policies, but Kaplan claimed the move was “arbitrary, capricious, and a blatant violation of the law.” The judge ruled that the funding must be reinstated immediately.
New York’s Governor Kathy Hochul (D) and Attorney General Letitia James—recently indicted for mortgage fraud—welcomed the decision.
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