When and How Should the National Guard be Deployed? – with Rosa Brooks and John Yoo

When and How Should the National Guard be Deployed? – with Rosa Brooks and John Yoo

From You Might Be Right by Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs at University of Tennessee

March 10, 2026 · 59 min · Season 8 · Episode 51

About this episode

The episode discusses the federalization of the National Guard and the implications of presidential control over state forces during crises.

Should a president be able to take control of a state’s National Guard to restore order, even if a governor disagrees? To kick off a new season, Governors Bredesen and Haslam are joined by Rosa Brooks, a law professor at Georgetown University and former senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Defense, and John Yoo, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and former official with the U.S. Department of Justice, to discuss the ability to federalize the National Guard and the unique role the Guard plays in times of crisis.

People in this episode

Hosts: Bredesen, Haslam

Guests: Rosa Brooks, John Yoo

Topics covered

  • National Guard
  • federalization
  • state control
  • crisis management
  • law and policy

Keywords

  • National Guard
  • federalization
  • presidential control
  • state governor
  • law professors

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Georgetown University, U.S. Department of Defense, University of California, Berkeley, U.S. Department of Justice

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