Appeals court lets Trump keep control of National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES AP An appeals court on Thursday allowed President Donald Trump to keep control of National Guard troops he deployed to Los Angeles following protests over immigration raids The decision halts a ruling from a lower court judge who exposed Trump acted illegally when he activated the soldiers over opposition from California Gov Gavin Newsom The deployment was the first by a president of a state National Guard without the governor s permission since In its decision a three-judge panel on the th U S Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously concluded it was likely Trump lawfully exercised his authority in federalizing control of the guard It stated that while presidents don t have unfettered power to seize control of a state s guard the Trump administration had presented enough evidence to show it had a defensible rationale for doing so citing violent acts by protesters The undisputed facts demonstrate that before the deployment of the National Guard protesters pinned down several federal officers and threw concrete chunks bottles of liquid and other objects at the officers Protesters also damaged federal buildings and caused the closure of at least one federal building And a federal van was attacked by protesters who smashed in the van s windows the court wrote The federal governing body s interest in preventing incidents like these is notable It also unveiled that even if the federal leadership failed to notify the governor of California before federalizing the National Guard as required by law Newsom had no power to veto the president s order Trump celebrated the decision on his Truth Social platform calling it a BIG WIN He wrote that all over the United States if our Cities and our people need protection we are the ones to give it to them should State and Local Police be unable for whatever reason to get the job done Newsom issued a declaration that expressed disappointment that the court is allowing Trump to retain control of the Guard But he also welcomed one aspect of the decision The court rightly rejected Trump s claim that he can do whatever he wants with the National Guard and not have to explain himself to a court Newsom reported The President is not a king and is not above the law We will press forward with our challenge to President Trump s authoritarian use of U S military soldiers against citizens The court situation could have wider implications on the president s power to deploy soldiers within the United States after Trump directed immigration officers to prioritize deportations from other Democratic-run cities Trump a Republican argued that the troops were necessary to restore order Newsom a Democrat announced the move inflamed tensions usurped local authority and wasted information The protests have since appeared to be winding down Two judges on the appeals panel were appointed by Trump during his first term During oral arguments Tuesday all three judges suggested that presidents have wide latitude under the federal law at issue and that courts should be reluctant to step in The development started when Newsom sued to block Trump s command and he won an early accomplishment from U S District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco Breyer exposed that Trump had overstepped his legal authority which he announced only allows presidents can take control during times of rebellion or danger of a rebellion The protests in Los Angeles fall far short of rebellion wrote Breyer who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton and is brother to retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer The Trump administration though argued that courts can t second guess the president s decisions and rapidly secured a temporary halt from the appeals court The ruling means control of the California National Guard will stay in federal hands as the lawsuit continues to unfold