National Guard troops to be withdrawn from Chicago and Portland. (File Photo)
A federal judge in California on Wednesday ordered an end to Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles. San Francisco-based US District Judge Charles Breyer held that Trump had exceeded his authority and directed that the National Guard should be returned to the control of the state’s Democratic governor.
‘Trump overstepped his authority’
The judge found Trump overstepped his authority by taking control of California National Guard units and sending them to Los Angeles and elsewhere in response to protests against federal immigration authorities, The Associated Press reported.
Military personnel in uniform, with the Texas National Guard patch on, are seen at the U.S. Army Reserve Center, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Elwood, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
The judge’s ruling came in a lawsuit filed by California Governor Gavin Newsom seeking to block an August order by Trump’s administration taking federal control of 300 California National Guard troops through February 2, 2026.
What the court said
Judge Breyer said there was no evidence to support the administration’s claim that the protests were a rebellion against the government that legally justified sending in troops.
He also rejected the administration’s claim that courts have no power to review a president’s decision to take control of state National Guard units during an emergency, saying this was an overly expansive view of presidential authority.
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“The founders designed our government to be a system of checks and balances. Defendants, however, make clear that the only check they want is a blank one,” Judge Breyer said, according to AP.
Wednesday’s ruling is the latest legal setback for Trump and his efforts to deploy National Guard troops to Democratic-controlled cities.
President Donald Trump dances to music after speaking at the Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
National Guard units are controlled by states but can be called into federal service under certain circumstances.
Trump has said his troop deployments in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC, Memphis, and Portland, Oregon are necessary to fight crime and protect federal property and personnel from protesters.
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National Guard troops to be withdrawn from Chicago and Portland. (File Photo) 
