Los Angeles, CA – A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from deploying federal troops to California for crowd control purposes, finding the actions likely violated the Posse Comitatus Act. The ruling, issued after a challenge brought by the state of California, details concerns over the administration’s lack of coordination with state and local law enforcement and the potential for creating a “national police force.”
U.S.District Judge Dolly gee found that federal troops deployed to Los Angeles in June engaged in crowd control and established traffic blockades, actions reserved for state and local authorities. Los Angeles police and sheriff’s officials were given “mere two hours’ notice” before federal operations began.
Judge Gee emphasized the historical context surrounding the domestic use of military troops, referencing public resentment stemming from the presence of British troops in the colonies and the Boston Massacre.She also cited Alexander Hamilton’s writings in The Federalist Papers, which asserted that the power to raise armies should reside with the legislature, not the executive branch.
The ruling noted that defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the deployment of 4,000 federalized national Guard troops and 700 marines to Los Angeles in June,with 300 National Guard members still present as of the ruling.
The judge specifically barred the government from future violations of federal law in California, citing Trump’s stated intention to deploy National Guard troops to other cities and the ”ongoing risk” of unlawful action.
Notably, the challenge to federal troop deployment predates the focus on Portland, Oregon. Days before turning attention to Portland, the Trump administration was already facing legal opposition to its troop deployment strategy in California.
