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United States. Army. National Guard

California Sues Trump Administration Over National Guard Deployment

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Monday that the state will sue the Trump administration over its decision to deploy National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell protests against the administration's immigration policies. The 22-page complaint, filed in Federal District Court in San Francisco, accuses President Trump of an "unprecedented usurpation of state authority and resources." The complaint argues that Trump's order to deploy National Guard troops without the governor's consent is a violation of federal law and the Constitution, and seeks a judicial order to unwind the deployment and return control of the National Guard to Governor Gavin Newsom.

Key Takeaways:

  • The California Attorney General's office filed a 22-page complaint in Federal District Court in San Francisco against the Trump administration, arguing that the deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles is an "unprecedented usurpation of state authority and resources."
  • The complaint seeks a judicial order to unwind the deployment and return control of the National Guard to Governor Gavin Newsom.
  • The Trump administration has deployed at least 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, and authorized the use of active-duty troops if necessary.
  • The California Attorney General's office has studied the Insurrection Act and is prepared to respond if President Trump later tries invoking it as an alternate legal authority to deploy the U.S. military to address the protests.
  • The deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles is the first time in about 60 years that a president has sent troops under federal control into a state to quell unrest without a request from the state's governor.
  • California Attorney General Rob Bonta argued that local law enforcement had been capable of handling the situation and could have requested support from state partners.
  • The complaint also argued that the Trump administration's deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles is a violation of the Tenth Amendment, which preserves the rights of states.
  • mr. bonta stated that "We don't take lightly to the president abusing his authority and unlawfully mobilizing California National Guard troops."
  • Bonta also said that "Trump and Hegseth jumped from 0 to 60," bypassing law enforcement expertise and evaluation in an unnecessary and inflammatory escalation that only further spurred unrest.

Statistics:

  • 2,000: The number of National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles by the Trump administration.
  • 700: The number of active-duty Marines deployed to Los Angeles by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
  • 60: The number of days that the National Guard troops are scheduled to remain in Los Angeles.
  • 19th century: The time period during which federal law was amended to allow the military to be used to protect federal functions and the Pentagon from antiwar protesters.
  • 1992: The last time a president used military force to carry out police functions on domestic soil, when President George H.W. Bush sent troops into Los Angeles to calm widespread rioting after a jury's acquittal of police officers who had been videotaped beating a Black man, Rodney King.

Sources:

  • "California Sues Trump Administration Over National Guard Deployment," New York Times, June 15, 2023.
  • Complaint filed in Federal District Court in San Francisco against the Trump administration.

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