LOS ANGELES (BN24) — A federal judge in California has ruled that President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles in June was unlawful, saying the move violated a longstanding ban on the military’s involvement in domestic law enforcement.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said Trump’s decision ran afoul of the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law that restricts the use of federal troops for domestic policing unless expressly authorized by Congress. In his ruling, Breyer cited the Guard’s roles in traffic blockades, crowd control, and setting up security perimeters as examples of prohibited military activity.
The ruling stems from Trump’s decision to send troops into Los Angeles during protests against immigration raids earlier this summer. The White House had argued the deployment was necessary to quell violence, but California officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, said local law enforcement was capable of handling the unrest without federal military intervention.
In a statement, Newsom welcomed the decision, calling it a victory for “democracy and the Constitution.” His administration had sued Trump shortly after the June deployment, alleging the president unlawfully bypassed the governor’s authority to control California’s National Guard contingent.
The court ruling, however, is limited to California. Still, legal experts say it could create challenges for Trump’s broader efforts to use the Guard in cities such as Chicago, where he has signaled plans to deploy troops in the coming days.
The Trump administration strongly rejected the judge’s conclusion. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Breyer’s ruling was an attempt by “a rogue judge” to strip the Commander-in-Chief of his constitutional authority to protect American cities. She added that the administration will appeal and that the president “remains committed to protecting law-abiding citizens.”
The order is on hold until Sept. 12, giving the administration time to challenge it in higher courts.
Breyer warned in his opinion that Trump’s actions raised serious concerns about the creation of “a national police force with the President as its chief,” if the National Guard continued to be used for arrests, searches, riot control, or other law enforcement duties barred by the Posse Comitatus Act.
Trump has previously ordered Guard deployments in Washington, D.C., and has weighed sending additional troops to other cities. The California ruling now places legal limits on how far such deployments can go.
