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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Politics

Could Trump invoke Insurrection Act – and what powers would that give him?

President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, January 20, 2025, in Washington, DC [Evan Vucci/AP Photo]

Social media posts have warned for more than a month that President Donald Trump would declare martial law on April 20, which typically means suspending civil law while the military takes control of civilian functions such as courts.

But many of the posts appeared to conflate martial law with the potential invocation of the Insurrection Act of 1807, which was mentioned in a recent executive order.

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