The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the Trump administration's emergency request to allow National Guard troops to be deployed in Chicago, marking a setback for the administration's attempts to curtail high crime rates in major cities.

President Donald Trump has sought to deploy the National Guard in Chicago in the face of aggressive pushback from the citizenry and local government over Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the Windy City.

The court rejected the administration's interpretation of federal law regarding what constitutes "regular forces." 

“At this preliminary stage, the government has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois,” the court said in its unsigned order.

Three of the Supreme Court's conservative justices dissented from the majority: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch. The ruling is a rare defeat for the administration given the court's 6-3 conservative majority.