A Biden-appointed federal judge has given President Donald Trump’s administration just 48 hours to justify its deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago, escalating a fierce legal and political standoff between the White House and Illinois’ Democratic leadership.

U.S. District Judge April Perry, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2022, issued the order Monday night after Illinois officials filed a lawsuit seeking to block Trump from sending federalized National Guard units into the state. Perry set a midnight Wednesday deadline for the administration’s response and scheduled a full hearing for Thursday afternoon.

For now, Perry declined to issue a temporary restraining order, allowing Trump’s deployment plan to move forward. Federal officials confirmed that roughly 200 Texas National Guard troops would be flown into Chicago by Wednesday morning to assist law enforcement operations in high-crime neighborhoods.

The lawsuit, led by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and joined by Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, argues that the deployment is “an unlawful act of political retaliation” against Democratic-led jurisdictions.