By Jan Wolfe

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he might use the Insurrection Act, a law authorizing the president to deploy military forces on U.S. soil, if courts and governors continue to block his deployment of National Guard troops in Democratic-led cities.

Here’s what to know about the centuries-old law.

WHAT IS THE INSURRECTION ACT?

The Insurrection Act is a federal law that gives the U.S. president the power to deploy the military or federalize National Guard troops inside the U.S. to quell domestic uprisings.

The law is commonly referred to as the Insurrection Act of 1807 because that was the year President Thomas Jefferson signed it into law. But the modern-day Insurrection Act is actually an amalgamation of statutes passed between 1792 and 1871

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