Appeals Court Allows Trump to Maintain Control Over National Guard in Los Angeles
A federal appeals court has ruled that President Donald Trump can retain control over National Guard troops deployed in Los Angeles, overturning a lower court decision that sought to return authority to California Governor Gavin Newsom.
In a decision issued on June 19, a three-judge panel from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that Trump acted within his constitutional authority when he federalized 4,000 members of the California National Guard for a 60-day deployment. The stated purpose: to “protect federal personnel and federal property.”
“We find that the President acted within the scope of his legal powers in federalizing the National Guard,” the panel wrote.
The ruling comes in response to a lower court order issued last week, which declared Trump’s move “unlawful” and instructed him to return control of the Guard to the state. California officials argued that Trump bypassed Governor Newsom in deploying troops to Los Angeles, violating established protocols. It marked the first time since 1965 that a U.S. president deployed the National Guard to a state without the governor’s consent.
Despite this, the appellate court stated that the president’s authority to federalize the Guard is not contingent on state approval. However, the judges did reject the Trump administration’s broader claim that courts have no authority to review a president’s decision to federalize the National Guard.
President Trump hailed the ruling as “a major victory.”
“If cities and Americans need protection—and local or state police cannot do the job for any reason—we will step in and take care of it,” he posted on social media.
Governor Newsom pushed back forcefully, saying, “Donald Trump is not a king, and he is not above the law. This fight is not over.” The state of California is expected to seek a rehearing or escalate the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“We will not allow American troops to be used against American citizens. That’s authoritarianism, plain and simple,” Newsom said.
Tensions in Los Angeles have intensified in recent weeks amid protests over the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies. Demonstrators have gathered at locations including garment factories and car washes, denouncing federal raids targeting undocumented workers.
While most of the protests have been peaceful, scattered incidents of vandalism, looting, and clashes with law enforcement have been reported.
In addition to the National Guard, President Trump also ordered the deployment of 700 U.S. Marines to the city—over the objections of local officials—arguing that Los Angeles was “on fire” and that state and city forces had “lost control.”
Source: AFP
