Appeals Court Allows Trump to Keep National Guard in Los Angeles as Legal Battle Continues
A US federal appeals court has temporarily allowed President Donald Trump to maintain his deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles, pausing a lower court ruling that found the mobilisation unlawful amid ongoing protests over immigration raids.
The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals issued an administrative stay on Thursday, effectively keeping command of the National Guard with the president for now, while litigation continues. The move comes just hours after San Francisco-based District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that Trump’s deployment was illegal and ordered the troops to return to the control of California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Though a short-lived victory for Newsom, Breyer’s 36-page ruling was halted less than three hours after its release. Newsom expressed confidence the order would ultimately stand, saying, “On the basis of the review of the 36 pages – absolutely it will stand.”
The three-judge panel includes two Trump appointees and one appointed by President Joe Biden. The court is scheduled to hold a hearing on Tuesday to consider the legality of Breyer’s ruling in full.
President Trump had summoned the National Guard on Saturday and later deployed a battalion of 700 US Marines to Los Angeles, expected to arrive on Friday, marking an extraordinary move to support civilian police with military forces. The troops have been positioned outside a federal detention centre in downtown LA and have also accompanied ICE agents during immigration enforcement actions.
Judge Breyer noted in his ruling that the military presence was exacerbating tensions in the city and depriving California of the ability to deploy its Guard for alternative public purposes. LA Mayor Karen Bass and other officials have similarly argued that the federal deployment has inflamed protests rather than calmed them.
While protests remain largely peaceful, with intermittent violence, the legal and political struggle over control of the Guard has added to the escalating standoff between the White House and California’s leadership.
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