Federal Judge Rules Trump's National Guard Deployment to Los Angeles Illegal

Federal Judge Charles Breyer ruled that Trump's deployment of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles for immigration enforcement violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars U.S. military forces from engaging in domestic law enforcement. Trump had seized control of California's National Guard in June 2025 against Governor Newsom's wishes, deploying 4,000 troops to respond to protests against ICE raids. This marked only the second time since 1970 that a president used the Insurrection Act to federalize state troops without the governor's consent. Trump immediately appealed and vowed to deploy the Guard to Chicago next.