A San Francisco court has ruled that the deployment of the National Guard by the US government under President Donald Trump to California was unlawful.
A temporary injunction was granted by Judge Charles Breyer, who deemed that Trump had overstepped his authority and that control over the National Guard should be returned to the California state government. The temporary order is set to take effect on Friday morning, local time. The US government has announced its intention to appeal the judge’s ruling.
California Governor Gavin Newsom had strongly criticized the deployment of thousands of National Guard soldiers and the planned deployment of Marine infantry in Los Angeles, as ordered by Trump. He stated that the court had confirmed that the military belongs on the battlefield, not on city streets. Trump must end the “unnecessary militarization of Los Angeles” he said.
In the United States, the states typically have control over the National Guard, except in the event of war or national emergencies, when the US President can take command. The deployment of the National Guard against the governor’s expressed will is considered an unusual display of federal power. It has been 60 years since a US President last took control of a state’s National Guard against the state’s declared will. Judge Breyer described the protests against the US government’s migration policy as “far from a rebellion.