In typical Trump fashion, it only took him one day to walk back his threat of invoking the Insurrection Act against the people of Minnesota. However, he did leave room for himself to use it in the future saying, “but if I needed it, I’d use it.” The last time a President invoked the Insurrection Act was in 1992 under George H.W. Bush during the Rodney King riots.
Because the Insurrection Act is so rarely used, its nuances require some explanation. That’s why we brought in Steve Vladeck, Georgetown Law Professor and SCOTUS expert, to unravel the intricacies of the law. Together with Jen, Vladeck explains when it can be invoked, when it has been invoked previously, and why it was created in the first place.
Steve Vladeck is a professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center, and is a nationally recognized expert on the federal courts, the Supreme Court, national security law, and military justice. Make sure to keep up with Steve on his Substack One First here.
