A US appeals court on Thursday ruled that US President Donald Trump can continue his control over National Guard troops in Los Angeles for now, despite objections from the state’s governor.
In a unanimous ruling, a three-judge bench said that Trump’s “failure to issue the federalization order directly ‘through’ the Governor of California does not limit his otherwise lawful authority to call up the National Guard.”
Court says there was defensible rationale for deployment
The 38-page document said that while a president did not have unchecked power to take over a state’s guard, Trump’s administration had presented enough defensible rationale for doing so.
It added that the president was within his rights when he mobilized 4,000 members of the national guard into service for 60 days to protect “federal personnel performing federal functions” and to protect federal property.
The ruling halts the decision of a lower court last week that ordered Trump to return the control of California’s National Guard to Governor Gavin Newsom. Newsom has criticized Trump’s decision to send in troops to LA to quell anti-immigration protests, calling it an authoritarian move.
Trump also sent 700 US marines to LA despite objections from local authorities as he claimed they had lost control of the city.
Trump celebrates ‘big win’
The US President took to his social media platform and said: “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.”
He hailed the ruling as a “great decision” and a “BIG WIN,” while misspelling Newsom’s name and calling him incompetent.
Meanwhile, Newsom took to X, focusing on the portion of the ruling which said the US President’s powers were not unfettered. “Donald Trump is not a king and not above the law,” he wrote.
“Tonight, 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. We will not let this authoritarian use of military soldiers against citizens go unchecked.”
Edited by: Kieran Burke
