RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- A Richmond expert is weighing in after the Trump administration’s recent deployments of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles sparked legal battles.

John Aughenbaugh, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) who studies constitutional law, said the administration is using the Insurrection Act of 1807 to justify the deployments.

"This law was passed by Congress to allow presidents to use the military to suppress insurrection," Aughenbaugh said.

He said it allows the president to use military force to quell unrest or insurrection when local authorities are unable or unwilling to do so. In this case, the Trump administration cited an "immigration emergency" in Los Angeles and a "crime emergency" in Washington, D.C. as grounds for the

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