In a significant legal triumph, Governor Gavin Newsom has obtained an injunction from a federal court, blocking what has been deemed an unlawful use of military forces by Donald Trump on the streets of Los Angeles. The court found that Trump's actions, which involved the deployment of 4,000 National Guard members and U.S. Marines for civilian law enforcement activities, were not only unauthorized but effectively established a "national police force with the President as its chief," consequently breaching constitutional protocols, as reported by the Governor's office.
"Today, the court sided with democracy and the Constitution. No president is a king — not even Trump — and no president can trample a state’s power to protect its people," Newsom said, in a statement made by the Governor's office. He added that Trump's attempt to use federal troops as his personal police force is illegal, authoritarian, and a direct threat to democracy that must be met with resistance in the courts. The court's decision includes an order preventing the National Guard and any military troops from carrying out arrests, patrols, and other law enforcement activities in California.
The legal battle commenced after an escalation on June 10, when Trump intensified military presence in Los Angeles by commandeering California National Guard soldiers and ordering the deployment of Marines. These military units were initially tasked with protecting federal buildings but were reportedly redirected to perform civilian policing, contrary to legal norms. Governor Newsom, along with Attorney General Bonta, promptly sought legal redress to challenge the federal overstep.
The mobilization of the National Guard members has had a noticeable impact on essential civil services across California. Individuals who had been serving as medical first responders, teachers, technology specialists, and in various other critical roles were repurposed to enforce law in Los Angeles, disrupting public safety operations statewide. According to the Governor's office, this reallocation included the reassignment of servicemembers from the state's Counterdrug Task Force, who had been instrumental in addressing transnational criminal activities and drug trafficking.
