A federal appeals court has ruled President Trump can keep control of the National Guard troops he sent to Los Angeles following the protests and riots that erupted there over immigration raids.
The decision halts a ruling from a district judge who said Trump acted illegally. Now, a panel of three federal appeals judges has ruled unanimously it was likely the president legally exercised his authority.
The appeals court ruled that, while presidents don’t have unlimited power to take control of a state’s guard, the administration presented enough reason to take action, citing the violence that was being committed by protesters in L.A.
“The undisputed facts demonstrate that before the deployment of the National Guard, protesters ‘pinned down’ several federal officers and threw ‘concrete chunks, bottles of liquid, and other objects’ at the officers. Protesters also damaged federal buildings and caused the closure of at least one federal building. And a federal van was attacked by protesters who smashed in the van’s windows,” the court wrote. “The federal government’s interest in preventing incidents like these is significant.”
The president is applauding the decision. He posted on Truth Social: “BIG WIN in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on the President’s core power to call in the National Guard!”
He then blasted the actions of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, saying, “But this is much bigger than Gavin, because all over the United States, if our Cities, and our people, need protection, we are the ones to give it to them should State and Local Police be unable, for whatever reason, to get the job done. This is a Great Decision for our Country, and we will continue to protect and defend Law abiding Americans.”
The deployment was the first by a president of a state National Guard without the governor’s permission since 1965.
The ruling means control of the California National Guard will temporarily stay in federal hands as the lawsuit continues to unfold.
