Gov. Shapiro signs onto a lawsuit against the Trump administration over National Guard deployments to U.S. cities
Shapiro's support comes as President Trump seeks to send the National Guard to Oregon. A federal appeals court is expected to decided on it today.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has joined a multistate lawsuit that seeks to block the Trump administration from sending National Guard soldiers to U.S. cities.
Shapiro signed on as a friend of the court in the lawsuit — meaning that while Pennsylvania is not a plaintiff, his office is showing its support for the legal action. The suit was initiated by the state of Oregon, later joined by California, and is currently in federal appeals court.
The Democratic governor’s support comes amid a mounting legal battle over Trump’s attempts to send troops to Chicago and Portland, Ore. Just days ago, a federal judge blocked the administration from sending the Guard to Oregon; an appeals court was scheduled to weigh the issue at noon Eastern time on Thursday.
Shapiro announced his support of the lawsuit Wednesday night on social media.
The lawsuit states that the Trump administration’s deployment of Oregon National Guard and out-of-state National Guard troops in Portland is “unlawful, unconstitutional and undemocratic” and violates long-held principles like federalism and states’ rights.
“By calling forth troops when there is no invasion to repel, no rebellion to suppress, and when state and local law enforcement are fully able to execute the law, the President flouts the vision of our Founders, undermines the rule of law, and sets a chilling precedent that puts the constitutional rights of all Americans at risk,” the lawsuit says.
Other states supporting the lawsuit include Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, along with the District of Columbia, as well as the governors of Kansas and Kentucky.
The lawsuit says that presidents have avoided the use of the military in the U.S. “unless absolutely necessary,” citing the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion; desegregation of a public school in Little Rock, Ark., in 1957; and the Los Angeles riots in 1992 as the rare examples.
About 500 soldiers from Illinois and Texas National Guard units have been deployed to Chicago, according to military officials. The National Guard buildup comes during protests by people opposing the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Trump administration has said the Guard is needed to secure federal assets.
National Guard units have also been deployed to Los Angeles, D.C., and Memphis.
No plan has been announced to deploy the Guard in Pennsylvania. Answering questions Thursday at the Navy Yard in South Philadelphia, Shapiro said that, as commander in chief of the Pennsylvania National Guard, he would oppose the Guard’s mobilization here.
“If the president really wants to help on safety, he should invest more in policing here in Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said. “He should invest more in violence prevention here in Pennsylvania. He should not attempt to deploy the Guard against my wishes.”