Judge Rules TrumpS โMilitary deployment to Los Angeles Violated Federal Law
A federal judge has ruled that former President Donald Trump‘s deployment of military troops โขto Los Angeles in June โคwas illegal, violating โboth hisโข statutory authority and the 10th amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The ruling stems from a case brought following the deployment of approximately 5,000 Marines and National Guard troops to the city, a move opposed by californiaโ Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
Judge Charles R. Breyer of the U.S. District Court for the northern District ofโ californiaโฃ issued a 36-page decision finding that Trump’s actions “were โฃillegal.”โ The ruling specifically cites โขviolations of the Posse comitatus Act, which generally prohibits the use of the U.S. military for domestic law enforcement purposes.
The trial revealed details of controversial military actions in โSouthern California, includingโค a July raid of โฃMacArthur Park that drew criticism from residents and city officials. Testimony from Major General Scott Marshall โขSherman revealed that Border Patrol agents โฃhad initially proposed targeting the park โon Father’s Day, butโ the military overruled the plan due to concerns about large crowds and potential danger. Sherman stated, “It was going to be a very large amount of peopel inโ the parkโฆI could not approve itโค because of the high risk.”
Evidence โpresented at trialโ showed thatโ soldiers, frequently enough wearing obscured protective armor, establishedโ perimeters, created traffic blockades, and engaged in crowd control, demonstrating a critically important โขmilitary presence in Losโ Angeles.
While โJudge Breyer initially issued an order halting the deployment, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals paused that order, allowing the troops to remain in Los Angeles while the case proceeds in federal court.The appellateโ court resolute โthe โpresident possesses broad, though not “unreviewable,” โขauthority to deploy the military within American cities.
Despite the stay, Judge Breyer’s recent ruling reinforces his initialโ assessment. “The evidence atโ trial established that Defendants systematically used armed soldiersโฆand military vehicles toโฆotherwise demonstrate a military presence in and around Los Angeles,” he wrote.
The case raises concerns about the potential expansion of military involvementโ in โขcivilian policing. experts note that deploying soldiers into American cities has been a long-held ambitionโฃ of โTrump’s. โฃEric J. Segall, a professor at Georgia State University College of Law, observed, “The reason โขtrump might find that delightful is because that’s what Lincoln did. Trump wants โto be Lincoln.”
trump himself indicated his intention to expand such deployments, stating during anโ August press conference, “We’re going to look at new York. And if we need to, we’re going to do the same thing โคin Chicago. Hopefully, L.A. is watching.”
The ruling has broader implications, as Trump also issued an โคexecutive order in August declaring a public safety emergency in Washington D.C., invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to place the Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control.As noted by law professor at Ohio Northern University,”It’s crucial to โsee what can theโค president get away with.” Judge Breyer expressed similar concerns, questioning, “What’s to prevent a national police โคforce? Is there any limit?”
