Power Play: When Presidents Override Governors—A Look at National Guard Federalization

Before the recent 2025 deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles by President Trump—which involved federalizing the Guard without the governor’s consent—the most notable prior instances where a president federalized the National Guard over a governor’s objections were during the Civil Rights era:

• Little Rock, Arkansas (1957): President Dwight D. Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas National Guard to enforce the desegregation of Central High School after Governor Orval Faubus used the Guard to block Black students from entering345.

• Mississippi (1962): President John F. Kennedy federalized the Mississippi National Guard to ensure the enrollment of James Meredith at the University of Mississippi.

• Alabama (1963): Kennedy federalized the Alabama National Guard twice—first to allow two Black students to enroll at the University of Alabama, and then later to ensure the integration of public schools in Birmingham34.

These are the main historical precedents where a president federalized the National Guard over a governor’s wishes. Other major deployments—such as during the 1992 Los Angeles riots—involved the president invoking the Insurrection Act with federal troops or federalizing the Guard, but often with some level of state cooperation or request24. The 2025 case is notable as a rare modern example outside of Civil Rights-era interventions.