By Isabella Torregiani
4:10pm PDT, Jun 21, 2025
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The U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of President
Donald Trump, allowing him to deploy the National Guard in response to protests in Los Angeles.
On Thursday, June 19, the Ninth Circuit
unanimously overturned a San Francisco judge's decision that attempted to give California Governor
Gavin Newsom control over the troops.
The panel ruled that the judge had no authority to override the president's actions.
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The federal court determined that deploying the National Guard was within President Donald Trump's authority, citing the need to enforce federal immigration laws amid the protests.
The three-judge panel, made up of two Trump appointees and one appointed by former President Joe Biden, rejected the lower court's conclusion that the protest in Los Angeles didn't meet the threshold for invoking a rarely used federal law.
"Affording appropriate deference to the President's determination, we conclude that he likely acted within his authority in federalizing the National Guard," the court wrote.
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While the federal appeals court ruled in favor of President Donald Trump, the legal battle may not be over. California could request a rehearing or take the case to the Supreme Court.
Regardless, the case returns to court on Friday, June 20, where Judge Charles Breyer will consider whether to issue a stronger preliminary injunction limiting Trump's use of National Guard troops or the Marines deployed to the city.
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Despite the ongoing legal review, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly said that he may not follow a ruling from the lower court: While speaking at the Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, June 18, he told senators he doesn't "believe district courts should be setting national security policy."
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According to Mayor Karen Bass, protests in Los Angeles have eased over the past week.
She ended the downtown curfew, noting that local law enforcement has been "largely successful" at restoring order.
From the beginning, California officials stated that local police agencies were capable of handling the situation, but President Donald Trump insisted on sending federal troops.
"We did a great job. We quelled that thing," he said outside the White House on Wednesday, June 18. "And the fact that we are even there thinking about going in, they won't bother with it anymore. They'll go someplace else. But we'll be there, too. We'll be wherever they go."
