Appeals court keeps block on National Guard deployment in Illinois, OKs mobilization
A federal appeals court is maintaining a block on the Trump administration from deploying federalized National Guard troops anywhere within the state of Illinois but allowing the federal government to maintain control of states' Guard troops.
The decision from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals came as it granted a partial stay Saturday of a lower court's ruling that had been appealed by the Trump administration.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge April Perry issued a temporary restraining order blocking the deployment of National Guard troops from any U.S. state into Illinois.
"Pending a decision on the request for a stay pending appeal, the district court’s October 9, 2025, order is temporarily STAYED only to the extent it enjoined the federalization of the National Guard of the United States within Illinois," the circuit court ordered. "Members of the National Guard do not need to return to their home states unless further ordered by a court to do so."
Overall, there are about 200 federalized National Guard troops from Texas and 14 from California currently in Illinois, according to a declaration from a U.S. Army official. Another 300 Guardsmen from Illinois have been mobilized by the president over the objections of Gov. JB Pritzker.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul called the court decision "a victory for our state."
"This is a victory for state and local law enforcement — who know their communities and who protect the right of their communities to speak truth to power," he said in a statement.
The 7th Circuit's decision regarding National Guard troops Chicago came a week after another federal judge blocked the deployment of the National Guard in Portland, Oregon, and then later barred any state's National Guard from entering the city.
The Trump administration appealed the decision, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily lifted a lower court’s order blocking the deployment of Oregon National Guard troops to the city.
However, a broader order that prohibits any state’s National Guard from deploying into Portland remains in effect.
