Former President Donald Trump erupted on Truth Social after a federal court held that ordering the National Guard into Los Angeles during the 2020 protests violated the Insurrection Act, igniting a fierce debate over executive authority. Judge Tanya Chutkan’s opinion, published in the federal court record, found that deploying troops to quell peaceful demonstrations exceeded presidential power.
Trump insisted he acted to “restore order” and accused the judiciary of partisan bias in a post declaring, “I will appeal this disgrace all the way to SCOTUS,” a vow covered extensively by Reuters. He portrayed Judge Chutkan—an Obama appointee—as part of a “radical left” bent on undermining law enforcement.
@realDonaldTrump “I defended our cities—this ruling endangers every mayor’s ability to keep their streets safe.” View on Truth Social
Constitutional experts like Professor Erwin Chemerinsky have praised the NPR legal analysis for clarifying that emergency powers must be balanced by congressional checks. “This decision underscores that no president can unilaterally deploy military force against peaceful protesters,” Chemerinsky told NPR.
In contrast, prominent conservative commentator Byron York argued on X that the ruling “tying the hands of the commander-in-chief” will embolden chaos, a sentiment he detailed in his viral thread.
@ACLU “Deploying troops to intimidate protesters tramples First Amendment rights,” warned the American Civil Liberties Union in their statement.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass celebrated the ruling as a victory for free speech, telling the LA Times that “our city must never be militarized simply for exercising the right to assemble.”
In an appearance on MSNBC, former Attorney General William Barr defended narrow use of the Insurrection Act but warned against “unchecked deployments,” urging a congressional framework rather than executive fiat—a point he made in an interview.
@NPRPolitics “This ruling sets a critical precedent limiting military force in domestic law enforcement.” View on X
The decision has prompted calls in Congress for clearer statutes governing domestic troop deployments. Senator Chris Murphy introduced a bill requiring explicit legislative authorization for any Guard action in protest scenarios, as reported by Politico.
At Los Angeles City Hall, protesters held a celebratory march chanting “No troops on our streets” after learning that Judge Chutkan’s ruling reaffirmed their right to peaceful demonstration. Organizers livestreamed their victory on X under the hashtag #HandsUpDontShoot.
@DreamDefenders “This is a landmark win for protest rights—never again should governors or presidents bypass Congress.” View on X
With Trump pledging a Supreme Court appeal and Congress debating new guard rules, America now faces a pivotal test of how far presidential authority can stretch before bumping against constitutional safeguards.
