Following today’s court win, Governor Newsom seeks injunction to stop the Trump Administration’s continued federalization of the National Guard through Election Day

“The Trump Administration continues to hold our National Guard servicemembers hostage as part of an unprecedented attempt to militarize American streets,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The initial federalization and deployment of these troops was unjustified – their redeployment for an additional 90 days is absurd. We’re asking the court to block implementation of this latest order, and we are confident that given the facts – or lack thereof – underpinning this order, the court will agree.”

Read the filing here.

Today’s court findings

On Tuesday, a federal court granted California’s injunction blocking Trump’s illegal use of the U.S. military as a domestic police force. The ruling makes clear: Trump is breaking the law by trying to create a national police force with himself as its chief. 

“The Court ORDERS that Defendants [TRUMP ADMIN] are enjoined 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.”

Read the entire ruling here.

How we got here

On June 10, 2025, following President Trump’s doubling down on the militarization of the Los Angeles area through the takeover of 4,000 California National Guard soldiers and the unlawful deployment of the U.S. Marines, Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta filed an emergency request for the court to block President Trump and the Department of Defense from expanding the current mission of federalized Cal Guard personnel and Marines. This mission orders soldiers to engage in unlawful civilian law enforcement activities in communities across the region, beyond just guarding federal buildings.

The impacts: Police off the streets, teachers out of classrooms

Of the over 4,000 California National Guard members sent to Los Angeles under Trump’s order, the California National Guard estimates that their servicemembers had been pulled from essential civilian duties such as medical and first responders, service workers, building trades contractors, law enforcement personnel, corrections officers, civil service and government workers, technology specialists, educators and teachers, and agriculture workers.

Typically, under the Governor’s command, nearly 450 servicemembers are deployed statewide, including at ports of entry, to combat transnational criminal organizations and seize illegal narcotics. CalGuard’s servicemembers dedicated to the state’s Counterdrug Task Force had been reassigned by President Trump to militarize Los Angeles. The consequences were dire as CalGuard’s helps ensure the public safety of communities statewide.

High-ranking U.S. military officials agreed

Retired four-star admirals and generals and former secretaries of the Army and Navy filed another amicus brief outlining the grave risks of Trump’s illegal takeover of the CalGuard. Several veterans and veteran rights’ groups came together to decry Trump’s militarization of California.