Thursday’s ruling temporarily blocking National Guard deployment is just one of many legal actions unfolding at Chicago’s federal courthouse against the Trump administration.
As ACLU-Illinois’ Ed Yohnka told the City Cast Chicago podcast, litigation isn’t everything. “But it is an important part of all the other building blocks that we have to push back against this authoritarian regime,” he said.
Here’s a roundup of a few of the biggest court cases we’re following.
National Guard
The news has been moving quickly. Last Monday, Chicago and Illinois sued the feds over deployment. The next day, National Guard troops began staging near Joliet. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge April Perry issued a temporary injunction.
Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson have claimed the decision as a victory. But as has been the case in Portland, an appeal is likely.
Meanwhile, troops were not seen during demonstrations Friday at the ICE facility in Broadview. But protesters did clash with local police, resulting in at least three arrests.
Broadview Protests
Speaking of Broadview, some of the legal actions Perry referred to stem from those suburban protests.
In separate hearings last week, charges were dropped against four people arrested while protesting. In one case, a federal grand jury refused to indict a couple who were legally carrying firearms, prompting one of their attorneys to quip that prosecutors had “less evidence than a ham sandwich.”
Tear gas fills the air during a protest Sep. 26 in Broadview. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
On Oct. 9, the same day Perry issued her ruling, another judge ruled federal agents can’t use tear gas, pepper spray, or other weapons against journalists and peaceful protesters. The ruling also requires agents to wear “visible identification,” according to Block Club, one of the news organizations that sued.
“Whatever lawlessness is occurring is not occurring by peaceful protesters,” U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis said.
In yet another decision, a federal judge ordered ICE to take down a controversial fence around the Broadview facility. Broadview officials had argued the fence hindered public safety because it blocked the fire department.
ICE Arrests
Underlying all of these actions is the Trump administration’s aggressive push on immigration enforcement. But many of those arrests may be illegal, too.
A federal judge ruled last week that ICE agents violated a 2022 consent decree that largely bans warrantless arrests. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of 26 people arrested in the Midwest earlier this year — and attorneys estimate hundreds more could be released.
