A U.S. District Court judge has ordered the Trump administration to cease deploying the California National Guard in Los Angeles, returning control to Governor Gavin Newsom (D). The ruling was issued by Judge Charles Breyer on Wednesday, December 10, in San Francisco.
Judge Breyer granted a preliminary injunction against the administration’s federalization of California National Guard troops, stating that the Trump administration’s position—that subsequent re-federalizations are “completely, and forever, unreviewable by the courts”—is contrary to law. The decision remains temporarily on hold until next Monday.
The ruling addresses Governor Newsom’s challenge to the administration’s use of state National Guard units for immigration enforcement without his approval. It follows a June deployment of over 4,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles after violent anti-ICE riots, which reduced to about 100 by October. California officials also objected to the administration’s decision to move National Guard personnel to cities like Portland, Oregon where federal property has been attacked.
An earlier attempt by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to block the initial deployment in June was set aside before this ruling.
