New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin has joined a group of 24 attorneys general and governors in filing a legal brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. The coalition supports Illinois in its opposition to President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Chicago without approval from Illinois’ governor.
The coalition argues that the President’s actions violate both constitutional and federal law, threatening the principle that military forces must remain under civilian control and endangering state sovereignty. The brief contends that recent deployments by the Trump Administration have bypassed local law enforcement authority in several states, including California, Washington, D.C., Oregon, and now Illinois.
“Judges across the country have made clear what is laid out in the Constitution – Trump’s domestic National Guard deployments are illegal,” said Attorney General Platkin. “The President is using our armed forces as his personal army, sending them into places that he has deemed insufficiently loyal or not politically aligned with him, acting no differently than authoritarians around the world. The courts must stop this blatant abuse of power and stand up for our democracy.”
On Friday, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals denied an immediate administrative stay sought by the Trump Administration that would have permitted deployment of federalized National Guard troops in Illinois during ongoing litigation. However, it allowed for federalization during consideration of further requests.
Attorney General Platkin is urging the court to reject a broader stay pending appeal from the Trump Administration, which would allow troops to be sent to Chicago. The brief asks the appellate court to uphold a lower court ruling that blocked this action by the administration and to maintain checks on federal power over states.
Other attorneys general joining Platkin include those from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Governors from Kansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania also participated in filing the brief.
