Trumpâs Insurrection Act: The Presidential Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free Card
On October 7, 2025, President Trump announced from his Oval Office throne that the Insurrection Actâwhich has been gathering dust since 1807 and ignored for decadesâis suddenly back in vogue. Intended to federalize the militia to crack down on 'unlawful obstructions' in Democrat-led cities like Chicago and Los Angeles (where judges have repeatedly slapped the wrist of his National Guard deployments for breach of the Posse Comitatus Act), Trumpâs rationale was classic: courts/govs holding him up, people hypothetically dying, so why not muscle in with troops? The Brennan Center calls this ancient law a legal free-for-all ripe for misuse, noting the Supreme Court gave the president largely unchecked power back in 1827, with a side-eye warning courts can only intervene if heâs really, really bad at his jobâwhich, given recent events, might be debatable. Meanwhile, lawsuits fly from Illinois AG Raoul and shocked judges as Trumpâs MAGA crew dreams of using troops to 'secure the border' and preempt protests come Inauguration Day. Weâre all terrible drivers of our own lives, but Trumpâs driving the country with a vintage legal speedboat registered circa 1807, waving an authority whip that hasnât been updated in 150 years. Buckle up.
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President Trumpâs Insurrection Act comeback tour is like a garage band revival: dusty, legally questionable, fueled by courtroom slapdowns and fueled by MAGA dreams of deploying troops wherever judges say no. Historyâs never been so rerun and so uncomfortably unscripted.
The Insurrection Act: because obviously what a centuries-old, rarely used law really needs is a starring role in 2025 political theater. Popcorn and judicial fireworks guaranteed.
When your go-to plan to solve protests is an 1807 law with no modern updates, maybe take a legal timeoutâunless your definition of 'law and order' means chaos in federal court.
Source: Axios | Published: 10/7/2025 | Author: Avery Lotz
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