August 11, 2025
Scholars warn Trump's city takeover plans violate Tenth Amendment
Legal experts warn urban takeover violates state sovereignty
📜Constitutional Law🏛️Government✊Civil Rights
Trump deployed over 2,000 armed National Guard troops to Washington DC and threatened Chicago next, despite the 147-year-old Posse Comitatus Act that limits military forces in domestic policing. The law doesn't completely prohibit military involvement but requires specific legal procedures like invoking the Insurrection Act.
Legal scholars from Harvard, Yale, and Stanford have condemned Trump's city takeover plans as violations of the Tenth Amendment, which reserves police powers to states rather than federal military control
Federal judge 
Lindsay Jenkins in Illinois already blocked Trump administration lawsuits against sanctuary policies, ruling they violate state sovereignty protections under constitutional federalism principles
The Brennan Center for Justice called Trump's DC takeover an attempt at nationwide authoritarian control that threatens democratic governance in American cities. 
Maya Wiley, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, warned the DC occupation could spread to other cities if courts don't stop it.
Chicago crime statistics show a 30% drop in violent crime and homicides at the lowest level since 2014, contradicting Trump's claims that military intervention is needed to address a crisis
Illinois Governor 
JB Pritzker compared Trump's threats to 'when the Nazi Party in Germany tore down a constitutional republic' in the 1930s, warning of historical parallels to authoritarian takeovers
Constitutional law professor Rick Hills of NYU explained Trump 'cannot repeat what he's doing in any other cities' legally, but warns that talking about it scores political points while undermining rule of law
📜Constitutional Law🏛️Government✊Civil Rights
Test Your Knowledge
10
Q1
Legal experts say Trump lacks constitutional authority to ban mail-in voting and voting machines without congressional approval.
Q2
The transformation of "citizens into conquered populations" occurs when:
Q3
When constitutional scholars show "universal agreement" that Trump's city occupation plans violate the Constitution, it indicates?
Q4
UC Law San Francisco scholars noted Trump signed 70+ executive orders in 30 days, calling them "extraordinary not just in number, but in breadth." Which institutional concern does this rapid pace create?
Q5
In February 2025, federal judges appointed by five different presidents—including Trump himself—ruled against 39 separate administration actions. What does this judicial unanimity reveal?
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Rick Hills
NYU Constitutional Law Professor
Lindsay Jenkins
U.S. District Judge
JB Pritzker
Illinois Governor
Maya Wiley
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights President