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On Wednesday, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump's deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles, ordering them returned to the state governor's control. US District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that the Trump administration had failed to prove the city's protests against increased immigration raids justified federal control of the state's National Guard, which had been sent to the city in June.
“The Trump administration still has control over 300 California National Guard troops six months after they were federalised, "Judge Breyer said.
Breyer also denied the Trump administration's argument that the courts should not weigh in on a president taking control of state National Guard troops during an emergency.
"The Founders designed our government to be a system of checks and balances," Judge Breyer wrote in his ruling. "Defendants, however, make clear that the only check they want is a blank one."
Judge Breyer said his order would not go into effect until 15 December, giving the Trump administration time to make its expected appeal to a higher court.
"President Trump exercised his lawful authority to deploy National Guard troops to support federal officers and assets following violent riots," said White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson in a statement, adding "we look forward to ultimate victory on the issue."
This year, Trump has sent National Guard troops to several cities, including Portland, Oregon, and Washington DC, where the deployments have also been contested in courts and, in some cases, blocked by judges.
California Governor Gavin Newsom sued soon after Trump first deployed thousands of troops in June, but a court of appeals sided with the administration, saying the protests in Los Angeles justified Trump's federalisation of the National Guard.
