Federal Appeals Court Sides with Trump on National Guard Deployment

Strategic Insights -

A federal appeals court in California has blocked a lower court's order for President Trump to return control of the National Guard to the state's governor, Gavin Newsom. The ruling, which was unanimous, allows the deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles to continue under Trump's control. The decision is the latest in the ongoing legal battle between California and the Trump administration over how to respond to protests in Los Angeles triggered by immigration raids in the region.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the situation on the ground in Los Angeles warranted Trump's decision to call in the National Guard to enforce federal immigration laws.
  • The court pointed to examples of protesters throwing objects at federal agents and vandalizing federal buildings as evidence of the need for National Guard deployment.
  • The judges rejected Newsom's argument that Trump didn't properly call up the Guard through the governor, determining that the administration's decision to do so through the state's adjutant general was sufficient.
  • The court emphasized that this decision was only about Trump's authority to deploy the National Guard, not what they can do once they're deployed.
  • Newsom and other local leaders opposed Trump's move, arguing that the state had enough resources and local law enforcement to respond to the situation on the ground.
  • The decision has significant implications for future presidential deployments of the National Guard, with Trump stating that the ruling will have an impact not just in California, but in any state where a president determines there's a difficulty enforcing laws and decides to call in the National Guard.
  • California could try to appeal the ruling, but the case will also continue in a lower court, with Judge Charles Breyer set to hear arguments on whether to issue a preliminary injunction.

Statistics:

  • 4,000: The number of National Guard troops deployed in Los Angeles under Trump's control.
  • 38 pages: The length of the court's decision granting Trump's request to keep the National Guard deployed.
  • 3 judges: The number of judges on the panel that made the unanimous decision, consisting of two Trump appointees and one Biden appointee.
  • Hundreds: The number of people arrested for engaging in violence or vandalizing public property since the protests first broke out.
  • 1: The number of week in which arrests and protests have died down a bit.

Sources:

  • NYT does not appear in the text, to disable such references are removed.
  • Byline and Host: BYLINE: Laura Fitzgerald HOST: Michel Martin
  • Leila Fadel and Michel Martin in the same segment cited (statement strictly from the source.)
  • Laura Fitzgerald of CapRadio's report strictly cited in the text.