The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an emergency request by the Trump administration to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago. The high court turned away the request in an unsigned order. According to NBC News, the Trump administration argued it needed troops to “protect federal agents involved in immigration enforcement in the Chicago area.” BREAKING: The Supreme Court keeps President Trump’s National Guard deployment blocked in the Chicago area for now. https://t.co/xoVSjFw8NS — The Associated Press (@AP) December 23, 2025 NBC News has more: In doing so, the court at least provisionally rejected the Trump administration’s view that the situation on the ground is so chaotic that it justifies invoking a federal law that allows the president to call National Guard troops into federal service in extreme situations. Those circumstances can include when “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion” or “the president is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.” Among the issues in the case is what the term “regular forces” means, something the Supreme Court focused on in an order issued on Oct. 29 asking for additional briefing. The question is whether the law only allows for the National Guard to be called up if regular military forces are unable to restore order, or whether the phrase refers to law enforcement. Although the decision is a preliminary one involving only Chicago, it will likely bolster similar challenges made to National Guard deployments in other cities. While litigation continues, the high court’s ruling will keep the hold placed by a lower court on the administration’s use of troops. “Three of the court’s six conservatives – Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch – dissented,” USA TODAY stated. BREAKING: Supreme Court won't let Trump deploy the National Guard in Chicago. Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch dissent. pic.twitter.com/GfpMnCJdIa — Katelynn Richardson (@katesrichardson) December 23, 2025 USA TODAY shared further: The National Guard, which typically operates under the control of governors, can be called into federal service by the president only under certain circumstances. The Trump administration contends two of those circumstances are present in Chicago − a rebellion against the government and an inability to execute laws “with the regular forces.” The administration said “regular forces” refers not to the full-time professional military, but to civilian law enforcement personnel, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. City and state officials disagreed and argued Trump “cannot possibly show that the extraordinary conditions for domestic military deployment are present here.” In an Oct. 9 ruling, U.S. District Judge April Perry said “regular forces” refers to the standing military, which Trump didn’t use first so can’t send in the National Guard. Perry also questioned the Justice Department’s description of the protests that the administration said warrant some kind of military intervention. “While the Court does not doubt that there have been acts of vandalism, civil disobedience, and even assaults on federal agents,” she wrote, “the Court cannot conclude that Defendants’ declarations are reliable.”