- A federal judge ruled President Trump’s deployment of the California National Guard was unlawful.
- Judge Charles R. Breyer ordered control be returned to Governor Gavin Newsom.
- The court found no legal justification under 10 U.S.C. § 12406 for federalizing the Guard.
- Governor Newsom publicly urged the Trump administration to demilitarize Los Angeles.
A federal court has ordered President Donald Trump to return control of the California National Guard to Governor Gavin Newsom, ruling that the administration’s deployment of state troops to Los Angeles was both unlawful and unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer issued the temporary restraining order (TRO) Thursday in the case Newsom v. Trump (Case No. 25-cv-04870-CRB), determining that the President’s actions exceeded the legal bounds of his authority under federal law and the U.S. Constitution.
The court held that the deployment—initiated without notifying or coordinating with California’s governor—violated the procedural requirements of 10 U.S.C. § 12406 and failed to meet any of the statute’s three conditions: invasion, rebellion, or inability to execute federal law with regular forces.
In his opinion, Judge Breyer wrote:
President Trump’s June 7 memorandum had authorized the deployment of 2,000 California National Guard troops following immigration enforcement raids that sparked widespread protests in Los Angeles. The Guard was placed under the command of U.S. Northern Command without the governor’s approval, court documents confirmed.
The judge found no evidence of an organized, armed uprising or a breakdown in civil enforcement capacity, concluding that the administration’s justification for invoking emergency powers did not meet the legal definition of “rebellion.”
Governor Newsom Responds Publicly
In a post Thursday evening on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Governor Gavin Newsom responded to the ruling, calling for an immediate end to the military deployment in Los Angeles:
End the unnecessary militarization of Los Angeles now, @realDonaldTrump.
Refusing to do so will only confirm your authoritarian tendencies.
The country is watching.”
Temporary Stay Granted
The order grants the federal government a 24-hour stay until 5:00 p.m. PT on Friday to file an emergency appeal. If no stay is granted, operational command of the National Guard must be returned to the state of California.
The Trump administration has not yet announced whether it will appeal the ruling. A spokesperson for the Department of Defense declined to comment.
Legal Background
The lawsuit filed by Governor Newsom and the state of California alleged that the President’s order violated both statutory limits and the Tenth Amendment. Judge Breyer’s ruling agreed, emphasizing the constitutional balance between federal and state authority in matters of domestic military control.
According to the court’s findings, the National Guard was deployed without clear mission guidance, and its presence escalated public tension during protests against federal immigration raids. The ruling reaffirmed that military deployment without proper legal basis cannot override state sovereignty.
📎 This article is based on official court documents from Newsom v. Trump, Case No. 25-cv-04870-CRB.
Read full ruling (PDF)
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