A U.S. federal appeals court has ruled in favor of former President Donald Trump, allowing him to retain control over National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles despite strong opposition from California Governor Gavin Newsom and city leaders.
The decision, handed down unanimously by a three-judge panel on Thursday, reverses an earlier lower court ruling that found Trump had acted unlawfully by deploying approximately 4,000 National Guard troops to the city in response to mass protests over his administration’s immigration crackdown.
The panel ruled that the president acted within his constitutional authority to protect federal personnel and property, even if the deployment bypassed the consent of the state’s governor. “Failure to issue the federalisation order directly ‘through’ the Governor of California does not limit his otherwise lawful authority,” the judges wrote.
Trump hailed the ruling as a “big win,” writing on social media: “This is much bigger than Gavin [Newsom]… America is proud of you tonight!”
The ruling stems from a legal challenge initiated after Judge Charles Breyer of a lower court found Trump’s move violated federal law by not adhering to the statutory process for federalizing a state’s National Guard. Breyer ordered that control of the California National Guard be returned to Governor Newsom, but stayed the ruling to allow time for an appeal—a move quickly pursued by the Trump administration.
Despite the court siding with Trump on the legality of the deployment, the 38-page decision made clear that presidential orders involving military force are not “completely insulated from judicial review.” The judges noted that Trump’s actions still remain subject to constitutional and legal scrutiny.
Governor Newsom reacted strongly to the verdict, accusing Trump of authoritarian overreach. “We will not let this authoritarian use of military soldiers against citizens go unchecked,” he said in a statement posted on X. “Donald Trump is not a king and not above the law.”
The Trump administration has defended the deployment, arguing that federal property and personnel, particularly Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, needed protection amid escalating protests and raids targeting undocumented immigrants in Los Angeles. In addition to the National Guard, Trump also dispatched 700 U.S. Marines to the city—again over the governor’s objections.
The last time a U.S. president deployed the National Guard without a governor’s consent was during the civil rights era more than five decades ago. The court’s ruling revives that precedent, raising questions about federal versus state control in times of civil unrest.
