A federal judge on Monday rejected California Governor Gavin Newsom’s emergency request to block President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to riot-hit areas of Los Angeles, marking a significant legal victory for the White House as tensions escalate between federal and state authorities.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, a Clinton appointee, denied Newsom’s motion for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) just hours after it was filed, clearing the way for 4,000 federally-activated National Guardsmen to remain in the city. The ruling also granted the Trump administration’s request for more time to file a formal response, setting the next court hearing for Thursday afternoon.
The deployment followed days of violent unrest in Los Angeles, Compton, and Paramount after federal ICE agents arrested over 100 illegal immigrants, including known gang members and narcotics traffickers. Demonstrators, some masked and armed with fireworks, rocks, and Molotov cocktails, responded by attacking law enforcement vehicles, defacing federal buildings, and setting fire to Waymo self-driving cars outside the Metropolitan Detention Center.
“Plaintiffs Gavin Newsom and the State of California filed an Ex Parte Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order at 11:00 A.M. on June 10, 2025,” Breyer noted in his order. Trump’s legal team, led by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and the Department of Justice, asked for at least 24 hours to respond. Breyer agreed and scheduled a full hearing for 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 12.
Governor Newsom’s complaint, filed Monday, accused Trump of undermining the foundational principle of civil governance. “One of the cornerstones of our Nation and our democracy is that our people are governed by civil, not military, rule,” the lawsuit stated. The governor further argued that the President lacked authority to activate the California National Guard without the state’s formal request — a claim Trump officials dispute.
On Sunday, Newsom released a letter from Legal Affairs Secretary David Sapp to Secretary Hegseth, arguing there was “no need for the National Guard to be deployed in Los Angeles.” The letter called on the Department of Defense to rescind the order and return full control of the Guard to the State of California.
That appeal was swiftly dismissed in practice when National Guard troops fanned out across key areas of Los Angeles Sunday night, working alongside federal law enforcement to secure ICE detention facilities and critical infrastructure.
Trump, for his part, has characterized the riots as the inevitable consequence of “years of lawlessness” under California Democrats. “We are restoring law and order, whether Gavin Newsom likes it or not,” Trump said during a campaign-style rally in Phoenix Monday evening.
The court will hear oral arguments on Thursday, with a potential preliminary ruling to follow. Until then, federal control of California’s National Guard presence remains intact — and so do the boots on the ground in Los Angeles.
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Seijah Drake was born in Boston, MA, where she developed a penchant for writing early on and a passion for politics in college. After college she worked briefly for a conservative media in New York before relocating to the Greater D.C. Area to pursue a career in political marketing. She now resides in the free state of Florida.
I wonder what poor Gavin will say when he finds out Trump DOES have authority to deploy the Guard!
He already knew the President has the authority to deploy the National Guard. His claim to the contrary is his attempt to gain public support for his Presidential run.
Victory Hooray
And no, I won’t buy a used car from THE JOKER.
What a sleaze bag!