Appeals Court Backs Trump’s Control of National Guard in LA, Blocking Newsom’s Challenge

An appeals court on Thursday ruled in favor of former President Donald Trump, allowing him to retain control over National Guard troops he deployed to Los Angeles during protests sparked by immigration raids.

The decision pauses a lower court’s ruling that had found Trump acted unlawfully by activating the National Guard despite opposition from California Governor Gavin Newsom. The move marked the first time since 1965 that a president had deployed a state’s National Guard without the governor’s consent.

The outcome of the case could have broader implications for presidential authority over domestic troop deployments, especially as Trump had previously directed immigration officials to target Democratic-led cities for deportations.

Trump, a Republican, justified the deployment as necessary to restore order amid escalating protests. Newsom, a Democrat, criticized the decision as a politically motivated overreach that undermined state control and worsened tensions. The protests have since largely subsided.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the ruling through a three-judge panel, two of whom were appointed by Trump. During oral arguments earlier this week, all three judges indicated that the president holds broad authority under the federal law cited in the case, and courts should be cautious about intervening.

Newsom initially sued to block Trump’s order and won a preliminary victory from U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco. Breyer—appointed by former President Bill Clinton and brother of retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer—ruled that Trump had overreached, as the law only allows presidential control of the Guard in cases of “rebellion or danger of a rebellion.”

“The protests in Los Angeles fall far short of ‘rebellion,’” Breyer wrote in his decision.

However, the Trump administration quickly appealed, arguing that the president’s decisions in such matters are not subject to judicial review. The appeals court granted a temporary stay, keeping the California National Guard under federal control while the legal battle continues.