Joseph Nunn
@josephanunn.bsky.social
Counsel in the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice. Expert on domestic deployment of the military.
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
No president has ever attempted to use the military for domestic law enforcement "in such a wide variety of ways and on the scale" that President Trump has, says @josephanunn.bsky.social. That's dangerous to democracy and to public safety.
The effectiveness and cost of the National Guard deployment in D.C.
It has now been one year since President Trump declared a “crime emergency” in the nation’s capital and deployed thousands of members of the National Guard to its streets. Questions continue to mount ...
www.pbs.org
August 12, 2026 at 2:21 PM
No president has ever attempted to use the military for domestic law enforcement "in such a wide variety of ways and on the scale" that President Trump has, says @josephanunn.bsky.social. That's dangerous to democracy and to public safety.
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
President Trump's deployment of National Guard troops in Washington DC "is designed to normalize something that should never be normal in this country: the use of the military as a domestic police force," @josephanunn.bsky.social writes.
Crime in DC isn’t an ’emergency,’ but normalizing troops in US streets is
It’s now clear that the deployment was never meant to be a quick response to an immediate crisis.
thehill.com
August 11, 2026 at 8:49 PM
President Trump's deployment of National Guard troops in Washington DC "is designed to normalize something that should never be normal in this country: the use of the military as a domestic police force," @josephanunn.bsky.social writes.
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
The American people should not accept troops in the streets as "just a fact of life," says @josephanunn.bsky.social "Armed military personnel standing on the street corners in an American city should never be normal."
Armed troops have patrolled D.C. for 1 year now. It's challenging democratic norms
The deployment is expected to cost in the billions after it was quietly extended until Inauguration Day of 2029.
www.npr.org
August 11, 2026 at 2:37 PM
The American people should not accept troops in the streets as "just a fact of life," says @josephanunn.bsky.social "Armed military personnel standing on the street corners in an American city should never be normal."
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
My colleague @josephanunn.bsky.social puts it perfectly - Trump’s deployment of the National Guard on the streets of DC, which began one year ago today, is “designed to normalize something that should never be normal in this country: the use of the military as a domestic police force.”
Crime in DC isn’t an ’emergency,’ but normalizing troops in US streets is
It’s now clear that the deployment was never meant to be a quick response to an immediate crisis.
thehill.com
August 11, 2026 at 1:56 PM
My colleague @josephanunn.bsky.social puts it perfectly - Trump’s deployment of the National Guard on the streets of DC, which began one year ago today, is “designed to normalize something that should never be normal in this country: the use of the military as a domestic police force.”
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
Automatic license plate readers are having a moment - but probably not the moment their vendors are hoping for. John Oliver threw down the gauntlet last week in an episode highlighting many of the concerns about LPRs - incl that they allow the govt to go back in time and see where you've been. 1/19
Police Surveillance Technology: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
YouTube video by LastWeekTonight
www.youtube.com
August 11, 2026 at 4:15 PM
Automatic license plate readers are having a moment - but probably not the moment their vendors are hoping for. John Oliver threw down the gauntlet last week in an episode highlighting many of the concerns about LPRs - incl that they allow the govt to go back in time and see where you've been. 1/19
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
Governors of many U.S. states and territories have sweeping power to use National Guard troops with relatively few legal constraints. Our new resource, accompanied by an interactive map, catalogues these laws and explains how legislatures can reform them to prevent abuse. bit.ly/4ainiev
State and Territorial Laws Governing the National Guard
Vague, open-ended, and constitutionally questionable laws give governors dangerous discretion to decide when, where, and how to use troops.
www.brennancenter.org
June 23, 2026 at 3:31 PM
Governors of many U.S. states and territories have sweeping power to use National Guard troops with relatively few legal constraints. Our new resource, accompanied by an interactive map, catalogues these laws and explains how legislatures can reform them to prevent abuse. bit.ly/4ainiev
Governors of many U.S. states and territories have sweeping power to use National Guard troops with relatively few legal constraints, new Brennan Center research shows. This is a dangerous state of affairs that’s ripe for abuse. Legislatures must act. 1/21
State and Territorial Laws Governing the National Guard
Vague, open-ended, and constitutionally questionable laws give governors dangerous discretion to decide when, where, and how to use troops.
www.brennancenter.org
June 23, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Governors of many U.S. states and territories have sweeping power to use National Guard troops with relatively few legal constraints, new Brennan Center research shows. This is a dangerous state of affairs that’s ripe for abuse. Legislatures must act. 1/21
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
It is now crystal clear who is obstructing reauthorization. Cornyn & other reform opponents would rather see Sec. 702 expire than allow reforms to protect Americans’ privacy. Sen. Wyden offered an easy path forward for extending the law. Reform opponents would prefer sunset. 2/2
June 10, 2026 at 9:20 PM
It is now crystal clear who is obstructing reauthorization. Cornyn & other reform opponents would rather see Sec. 702 expire than allow reforms to protect Americans’ privacy. Sen. Wyden offered an easy path forward for extending the law. Reform opponents would prefer sunset. 2/2
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
Senator Cornyn just blocked a 9-month extension of Section 702 with a warrant requirement for backdoor searches. He then blocked a 5-week extension with no warrant requirement, just basic transparency measures. 1/2
June 10, 2026 at 9:20 PM
Senator Cornyn just blocked a 9-month extension of Section 702 with a warrant requirement for backdoor searches. He then blocked a 5-week extension with no warrant requirement, just basic transparency measures. 1/2
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
Hi folks! A few thoughts on this essay, and the questions that we *should* be asking, rather than the ones this Army officer seems inclined to answer. I haven’t done a CMR thread in a while so I’m overdue. 🧵
October 31, 2025 at 3:04 AM
Hi folks! A few thoughts on this essay, and the questions that we *should* be asking, rather than the ones this Army officer seems inclined to answer. I haven’t done a CMR thread in a while so I’m overdue. 🧵
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
President Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Portland is off — for now. Last night, Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting the deployment of ANY federalized National Guard forces in Portland. 1/7
October 6, 2025 at 5:05 PM
President Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Portland is off — for now. Last night, Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting the deployment of ANY federalized National Guard forces in Portland. 1/7
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
A core principle of this nation is that the military should not be asked to turn its weapons against fellow Americans. We cannot allow this unprecedented militarization of American cities to become normalized. Read: wapo.st/4mQhNHq
October 6, 2025 at 7:44 PM
A core principle of this nation is that the military should not be asked to turn its weapons against fellow Americans. We cannot allow this unprecedented militarization of American cities to become normalized. Read: wapo.st/4mQhNHq
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
This morning, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth spoke to 800 high-ranking generals and admirals who had been called away from their stations around the world. At the meeting, Trump said he’d told Hegseth he should use American cities as “training grounds” for the military. 1/6
September 30, 2025 at 7:59 PM
This morning, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth spoke to 800 high-ranking generals and admirals who had been called away from their stations around the world. At the meeting, Trump said he’d told Hegseth he should use American cities as “training grounds” for the military. 1/6
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
The Posse Comitatus Act was created to limit when federal troops can be used against Americans. Four key reforms are needed to make sure the law holds up: bit.ly/47Qbde5
Why the Posse Comitatus Act Must Be Reformed
Significant exceptions and loopholes, along with a lack of enforcement mechanisms, undermine the law that prevents military involvement in law enforcement.
www.brennancenter.org
September 5, 2025 at 9:44 PM
The Posse Comitatus Act was created to limit when federal troops can be used against Americans. Four key reforms are needed to make sure the law holds up: bit.ly/47Qbde5
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
“What we are seeing from this president is an assault on the core principle against using the military as a domestic police force. That’s fundamentally at odds with democracy and individual freedom.” @lizagoitein.bsky.social on @slate.com's Amicus podcast.
Trump Wants to Send the National Guard Into Chicago. Here’s What the Law Actually Says About That.
The president can't legally apply his D.C. playbook to Chicago.
slate.com
September 4, 2025 at 4:24 PM
“What we are seeing from this president is an assault on the core principle against using the military as a domestic police force. That’s fundamentally at odds with democracy and individual freedom.” @lizagoitein.bsky.social on @slate.com's Amicus podcast.
THREAD: This morning, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that President Trump's use of National Guardsmen and Marines to support federal law enforcement in and around Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act. (1/22) www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-t...
Judge rules Trump's deployment of troops to Los Angeles violated federal law
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled in favor of California Gov. Gavin Newsom in his challenge to President Trump's deployment of troops to Los Angeles.
www.cbsnews.com
September 2, 2025 at 8:03 PM
THREAD: This morning, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that President Trump's use of National Guardsmen and Marines to support federal law enforcement in and around Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act. (1/22) www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-t...
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
The Pentagon is reportedly planning to mobilize thousands of National Guard forces and deploy them in Chicago for the purpose of crime control. Trump is on even thinner legal ice with this plan than he is in Los Angeles and D.C. 1/12 www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Pentagon plans military deployment in Chicago as Trump eyes crackdown
President Donald Trump said Chicago is his next likely target to crack down on urban crime. Military planning has been ongoing for weeks, officials say.
www.washingtonpost.com
August 24, 2025 at 12:40 PM
The Pentagon is reportedly planning to mobilize thousands of National Guard forces and deploy them in Chicago for the purpose of crime control. Trump is on even thinner legal ice with this plan than he is in Los Angeles and D.C. 1/12 www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
THREAD: This may be legal, but it raises a host of concerns. The Trump admin has inserted the military into civilian law enforcement in an ever-growing variety of ways. Individually, these are often minor. Taken together, they start to blur the line separating the military from civilian government.
SCOOP: As the National Guard takes over the streets of DC, military officers are now going to be detailed to prosecute civilian criminal cases for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
Military officers shifted to prosecute local D.C. crimes amid Trump takeover
Members of the Judge Advocate General Corps are set to join the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
www.nbcnews.com
August 21, 2025 at 8:27 PM
THREAD: This may be legal, but it raises a host of concerns. The Trump admin has inserted the military into civilian law enforcement in an ever-growing variety of ways. Individually, these are often minor. Taken together, they start to blur the line separating the military from civilian government.
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
The past week’s actions in DC "illustrate the dangers of an administration willing to exploit emergency powers and disregard the limits on those powers." New analysis by the Brennan Center's @josephanunn.bsky.social and @sreynolds.bsky.social.
One Week of Trump’s DC Takeover Attempt: An analysis of the president’s use of military, police, and security services in the nation’s capital
Detailed legal analysis of federalization of DC police and the deployment of Guard, DHS and other forces.
www.justsecurity.org
August 19, 2025 at 2:28 PM
The past week’s actions in DC "illustrate the dangers of an administration willing to exploit emergency powers and disregard the limits on those powers." New analysis by the Brennan Center's @josephanunn.bsky.social and @sreynolds.bsky.social.
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
🚨 One Week of Trump’s DC Takeover 🚨
@josephanunn.bsky.social and I look at the last week in DC: How the feds commandeered the local police, deployed the national guard and federal law enforcement.
We go behind the legal abuses and explain what’s next.
www.justsecurity.org/119227/trump...
@josephanunn.bsky.social and I look at the last week in DC: How the feds commandeered the local police, deployed the national guard and federal law enforcement.
We go behind the legal abuses and explain what’s next.
www.justsecurity.org/119227/trump...
www.justsecurity.org
August 19, 2025 at 2:23 PM
🚨 One Week of Trump’s DC Takeover 🚨
@josephanunn.bsky.social and I look at the last week in DC: How the feds commandeered the local police, deployed the national guard and federal law enforcement.
We go behind the legal abuses and explain what’s next.
www.justsecurity.org/119227/trump...
@josephanunn.bsky.social and I look at the last week in DC: How the feds commandeered the local police, deployed the national guard and federal law enforcement.
We go behind the legal abuses and explain what’s next.
www.justsecurity.org/119227/trump...
One Week of Trump’s Attempted DC Takeover
@sreynolds.bsky.social and I look at how the admin has abused legal authorities to deploy the National Guard, surge federal law enforcement, and attempt to commandeer the local police in the nation's capital. www.justsecurity.org/119227/trump...
@sreynolds.bsky.social and I look at how the admin has abused legal authorities to deploy the National Guard, surge federal law enforcement, and attempt to commandeer the local police in the nation's capital. www.justsecurity.org/119227/trump...
One Week of Trump’s DC Takeover Attempt: An analysis of the president’s use of military, police, and security services in the nation’s capital
Detailed legal analysis of federalization of DC police and the deployment of Guard, DHS and other forces.
www.justsecurity.org
August 19, 2025 at 2:36 PM
One Week of Trump’s Attempted DC Takeover
@sreynolds.bsky.social and I look at how the admin has abused legal authorities to deploy the National Guard, surge federal law enforcement, and attempt to commandeer the local police in the nation's capital. www.justsecurity.org/119227/trump...
@sreynolds.bsky.social and I look at how the admin has abused legal authorities to deploy the National Guard, surge federal law enforcement, and attempt to commandeer the local police in the nation's capital. www.justsecurity.org/119227/trump...
Despite the president's threats, most of what the Trump admin has done in DC this past week is not repeatable anywhere else. Those concerned about federal military intervention in other U.S. cities should instead look to the Trump admin's actions in Los Angeles as a model for what is likely to come.
Trump is moving to tighten his grip on Democratic-leaning big cities, the geographic center of resistance to his agenda
Analysis: The common thread in Trump’s latest moves: squeezing big blue cities | CNN Politics
President Donald Trump is moving systematically to tighten his grip on Democratic-leaning big cities — the geographic center of resistance to his agenda — by undermining their autonomy and eroding the...
www.cnn.com
August 18, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Despite the president's threats, most of what the Trump admin has done in DC this past week is not repeatable anywhere else. Those concerned about federal military intervention in other U.S. cities should instead look to the Trump admin's actions in Los Angeles as a model for what is likely to come.
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
The Trump administration practically claims authority "to use the military anywhere, anytime, for any purpose." That's "absolutely unprecedented," says the Brennan Center's @josephanunn.bsky.social.
Trump’s Use of Troops for Policing Hasn’t Been Seen Since America Was Ruled by a King
“The ability to use the military anywhere, anytime, for any purpose — it’s absolutely unprecedented.”
theintercept.com
August 13, 2025 at 3:19 PM
The Trump administration practically claims authority "to use the military anywhere, anytime, for any purpose." That's "absolutely unprecedented," says the Brennan Center's @josephanunn.bsky.social.
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
“This country has a problem when the president has too much authority to use the military domestically.” — Brennan Center's @josephanunn.bsky.social.
Trump's New, Audacious Argument To The Courts
Are there any limits on President Donald Trump’s push to send troops into states that don’t want them? A judge will soon decide.
www.huffpost.com
August 15, 2025 at 1:31 PM
“This country has a problem when the president has too much authority to use the military domestically.” — Brennan Center's @josephanunn.bsky.social.
Reposted by Joseph Nunn
In light of WV #National Guard ordered to DC, I'm re-upping this Article via @cnas.bsky.social, calling for reform of a particular statute - 32 USC 502f that is being used as the *likely* legal basis for the deployment.
@josephanunn.bsky.social @lizagoitein.bsky.social
www.cnas.org/publications...
@josephanunn.bsky.social @lizagoitein.bsky.social
www.cnas.org/publications...
Congress Must Clarify the National Guard’s Section 502 Legal Authorities
Understanding the precise scope of the Guard’s legal authorities is important, because Posse Comitatus Act restrictions
www.cnas.org
August 16, 2025 at 10:00 PM
In light of WV #National Guard ordered to DC, I'm re-upping this Article via @cnas.bsky.social, calling for reform of a particular statute - 32 USC 502f that is being used as the *likely* legal basis for the deployment.
@josephanunn.bsky.social @lizagoitein.bsky.social
www.cnas.org/publications...
@josephanunn.bsky.social @lizagoitein.bsky.social
www.cnas.org/publications...