Leah Litman

So think about, for example, the segregationists of the Jim Crow era who attempted to block, together with private mobs, students from going to integrated schools.

Those are the circumstances in which presidents are historically involved.

invoking the Insurrection Act and, as a legal matter, are thought to have the authority to invoke the Insurrection Act.

And there are precisely zero circumstances on the ground that suggest Minnesota is anywhere near approaching that situation.

Instead, all of the evidence is state and local law enforcement are trying to de-escalate the situation.

Right.

Allow federal law enforcement to do their job, but also enforce state law in the process.

And there's just no indication that they are capable of doing so either.

So I think a bunch of different entities.

One would be the state of Minnesota, because we have already seen the injuries to the state from the mass deployment and surge of ICE officers.

But

Businesses in Minnesota have shut down.

Hospitals are limited.

State public services are feeling the strain.

It is more difficult for the state to enforce state law, given the violations that the federal officers themselves are engaged in.

It's clear that this surge and deployment injures the state.

So the state is one possible entity.

It is also possible that individual citizens or religious organizations or other groups that are being harmed by the targeting of different communities and the obstruction of public services in the state could also sue.

So those are two different categories.

It was actually at the request of state officials.