There’s a tug-of-war playing out across America right now, and it’s not between two candidates or even two political parties. It’s between the Constitution’s two halves: federal and state power. President Trump’s latest legal battle over deploying the National Guard in cities like Portland, Chicago, and San Francisco has pulled that rope tighter than it’s…
When Courts Say “No” to Troops, Should the President Invoke the Insurrection Act?
Over the past few weeks, the Trump administration’s attempt to insert federal military (or Guard) force into major American cities has triggered a cascade of courtroom pushbacks. What looked like a bold posture on law and order is increasingly turning into a legal war of attrition. The administration, frustrated by injunctions and restraining orders, is…
The Court, the Constitution, and Trump’s Los Angeles Deployment
The summer of 2025 was already simmering when Los Angeles became the epicenter of a political and constitutional storm. After a series of high-profile immigration raids swept through Southern California, the streets filled with demonstrators. Some were peaceful, gathering in large numbers to voice opposition to federal policy. Others grew heated, with scuffles breaking out…
In Defense of Order or an Overstep? President Trump’s Deployment of Troops to Los Angeles
In a bold and highly controversial move, President Trump took swift action to restore order in Los Angeles, where anti-deportation protests had spiraled into widespread unrest. On June 8, he ordered the deployment of the National Guard without the consent of California’s governor. Roughly 500 active-duty Marines were dispatched the next day to safeguard federal…