A federal judge ruled late Thursday that President Donald Trump’s actions to federalize parts of California’s National Guard were “illegal,” mandating that control be returned to California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Judge Charles Breyer, however, issued a stay on his ruling until 3 p.m. ET on Friday, allowing the Trump administration the opportunity to appeal. The administration quickly filed an appeal with the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to halt Breyer’s order from taking effect.
In recent days, Trump federalized 4,000 members of the California National Guard and mobilized approximately 700 U.S. Marines in response to protests in Los Angeles aimed at federal immigration enforcement.
Newsom and the state attorney general initiated a lawsuit to counter Trump’s decision to federalize the Guard without the governor’s consent.
Breyer’s ruling followed a U.S. District Court hearing in San Francisco, where he probed federal attorneys regarding the president’s justification and authority for such unconventional measures.
“At this early stage of the proceedings, the Court must determine whether the President followed the congressionally mandated procedure for his actions. He did not,” Breyer stated in his ruling.
“His actions were illegal — both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith,” the judge added.
Governor Newsom lauded the ruling, sharing a video that depicted the destruction of the “Death Star,” a reference from the “Star Wars” series, celebrating it as a metaphor for pushing back against authoritarianism.
“The court just confirmed what we all know — the military belongs on the battlefield, not on our city streets,” Newsom affirmed in a post on X.
He further emphasized, “This win is not just for California, but the nation. It’s a check on a man whose authoritarian tendencies are increasing by the day. End the illegal militarization of Los Angeles now, @realDonaldTrump. History is watching.”
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