The Court’s findings
“The Court ORDERS that Defendants [TRUMP ADMIN] are enjoined from deploying, ordering, instructing, training, or using the National Guard currently deployed in California, and any military troops heretofore deployed in California, to execute the laws, including but not limited to engaging in arrests, apprehensions, searches, seizures, security patrols, traffic control, crowd control, riot control, evidence collection, interrogation, or acting as informants.”
How we got here
On June 10, 2025, following President Trump’s doubling down on the militarization of the Los Angeles area through the takeover of 4,000 California National Guard soldiers and the unlawful deployment of the U.S. Marines, Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta filed an emergency request for the court to block President Trump and the Department of Defense from expanding the current mission of federalized Cal Guard personnel and Marines. This mission orders soldiers to engage in unlawful civilian law enforcement activities in communities across the region, beyond just guarding federal buildings.
The Impacts: Police off the streets, teachers out of classrooms
Of the over 4,000 California National Guard members sent to Los Angeles under Trump’s order, the California National Guard estimates that their servicemembers had been pulled from essential civilian duties such as medical and first responders, service workers, building trades contractors, law enforcement personnel, corrections officers, civil service and government workers, technology specialists, educators and teachers, and agriculture workers.
Typically, under the Governor’s command, nearly 450 servicemembers are deployed statewide, including at ports of entry, to combat transnational criminal organizations and seize illegal narcotics. CalGuard’s servicemembers dedicated to the state’s Counterdrug Task Force had been reassigned by President Trump to militarize Los Angeles. The consequences were dire as CalGuard’s helps ensure the public safety of communities statewide.
High-ranking U.S. military officials agreed
Retired four-star admirals and generals and former secretaries of the Army and Navy filed another amicus brief outlining the grave risks of Trump’s illegal takeover of the CalGuard. Several veterans and veteran rights’ groups came together to decry Trump’s militarization of California.