Judge Rules DJT Sent Troops to Los Angeles Illegally

Federal District Court Judge Charles Breyer ruled that Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard and Marine troops this summer to Los Angeles, California, was illegal.

Breyer wrote, “This was intentional – Defendants [the federal government] instigated a months-long deployment of the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles for the purpose of establishing a military presence there and enforcing federal law. Such conduct is a serious violation of the Posse Comitatus Act.”

Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have, Breyer said, “stated their intention to call National Guard troops into federal service in other cities across the country…thus creating a national police force with the President as its chief.” Breyer’s order bars the government “from deploying, ordering, instructing, training, or using the National Guard currently deployed in California, and any military troops heretofore deployed in California, to execute the laws, including but not limited to engaging in arrests, apprehensions, searches, seizures, security patrols, traffic control, crowd control, riot control, evidence collection, interrogation, or acting as informants.”

Breyer paused his order so it will not go into effect until noon 12 September 2025, allowing the government an opportunity to appeal.

His order does not apply to other jurisdictions. Since the Los Angeles deployment, Trump has also deployed National Guard troops in Washington, DC, where they are armed but are picking up trash or spreading mulch. Trump has publicly said he wants to send troops into such other cities as Chicago, Baltimore and New York. Such other jurisdictions will have to file their own legal challenges against having military troops on their streets.

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