A federal judge has blocked Donald Trump from using California’s National Guard in Los Angeles, calling the move unlawful and ordering the troops returned to state control.
In a sharply worded decision Thursday night, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that Trump’s actions were “illegal – both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution” when he took command of thousands of National Guard members without California’s consent.
“He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith,” Breyer wrote in a 36-page ruling.
The judge’s order is a major setback for Trump and a clear victory for California Governor Gavin Newsom, who sued the president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this week after Trump sent Guard troops into the city during protests against his immigration policies.
Breyer’s order is on hold until noon Friday, giving the Trump administration time to appeal.
California’s attorney general argued that Trump bypassed key legal steps in federalizing the Guard, ignoring laws meant to protect state authority.
Governor Newsom didn’t hold back after the ruling. “The court just confirmed what we all know: The military belongs on the battlefield, not on our city streets,” he wrote on X.
He urged Trump to “end the unnecessary militarization of Los Angeles now,” warning that failure to do so “will only confirm your authoritarian tendencies. The country is watching.”
