The Unchecked Power of the Insurrection Act: What Trump’s Threat to Deploy the Military Really Means

When President Trump threatens to invoke the so-called "Insurrection Act" to quell protests in cities like Portland, Oregón, Americans must ask: Are we on the brink of a federal power grab that undermines our nation’s founding principle of limited government? The Insurrection Act, an amalgam of laws dating from 1792 to 1871, is one of the most sweeping emergency powers in federal hands. Does This Law Hand the Military Free Rein on American Soil? Under normal circumstances, the Posse Comitatus Act firmly prohibits U.S. military forces from enforcing civilian law. Yet, invoking the Insurrection Act temporarily suspends these critical safeguards,...