California Governor Gavin Newsom celebrated his victory in court against President Donald Trump’s extension of the National Guard’s presence in Los Angeles.
Published December 10, 2025
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles, California, and ordered it returned to the governor’s authority.
In a ruling Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer rejected the government’s argument that the deployment was necessary to quell protests against the administration’s aggressive raids on immigrants.
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“The Founders designed our government to be a system of checks and balances, but these defendants have made it clear that the only check they want is a blank check,” Breyer said.
President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to cities across the country has often occurred despite resistance from state and local officials and in the absence of a serious emergency.
About 4,000 California National Guard troops were sent to Los Angeles in June without the governor’s approval, and only about 100 remain in Los Angeles. The government had extended the deployment until February, arguing that the presence was necessary to protect federal employees and property.
Breyer’s decision grants a preliminary injunction sought by California officials, but the decision will be put on hold until Monday.
The administration is also at odds with the state of California over efforts to send National Guard troops to the neighboring city of Portland, Oregon.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democratic officials denounced the deployment of the military as an authoritarian power grab aimed at suppressing dissent in cities seen as centers of resistance to the Trump administration.
Newsom’s office reacted to Wednesday’s ruling with a post on social media celebrating “another W (win) for democracy, L (defeat) for Don’s rule.”
The US president has frequently attacked Democratic-run cities and immigrant communities as filthy and crime-ridden, using alarming language, and said he may deploy the military more regularly to fight the “enemy within.”
