The feud between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Trump administration continues as both parties returned to court Monday for a three-day trial over the deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles in June.
President Trump deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles on June 7 to suppress immigration riots that erupted in the city because of ICE deportations. When riots persisted, the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth deployed 200 Marines to the area on June 13 to guard the Wilshire Federal Building.
In court, the Newsom administration is arguing the National Guard members and Marines deployed to Los Angeles under the orders of Trump and Hegseth illegally engaged with civilian law enforcement, violating the Posse Comitatus Act.
The Posse Comitatus Act is a federal law prohibiting the use of the U.S. military for domestic law enforcement activities unless authorized by Congress or exceptions in the Constitution.
The Newsom administrated motioned for preliminary injunction in its supplement brief filed July 30.
The Trump administration however, is arguing Trump had the legal right to deploy the U.S. military because it was for the purpose of supporting immigration law and federal buildings. The Trump administration is further stating engagements between the U.S. military and the Department of Homeland Security and its ICE agency don’t count as law enforcement.
The trial is taking place in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The judge is the brother of retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer who was anointed by former president Bill Clinton.
“Two months ago, the federal government deployed military troops to the streets of Los Angeles for the purposes of political theater and public intimidation,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a press release Sunday. “This dangerous move has no precedent in American history, erodes trust between the American military and the public, and pulls our servicemembers away from their vital role in fighting wildfires and tackling the fentanyl epidemic.”
Newsom called Trump’s deployment of U.S. military soldiers to states an “assault on democracy,” in a press release on Tuesday.
“His authoritarian orders aren’t about safety — they’re an attack on the very foundation of our nation and a slap in the face to democracy,” Newsom said.
Bonta’s office told The Center Square Tuesday that while the trial ends tomorrow, there is no guarantee the judge will issue a ruling.
The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment.
