The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has upheld a lower court's order blocking the Trump Administration's federalization of California's National Guard, finding the administration exceeded its legal authority and violated the Constitution.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom sued the Trump Administration in June 2025, challenging orders to federalize the National Guard and use its troops for civilian law enforcement in Los Angeles. A federal district court in the Northern District of California granted a temporary restraining order blocking the deployment the same week. The administration appealed, but the Ninth Circuit rejected its attempt to withdraw the appeal.
In August 2025, after a three-day trial presenting evidence of Posse Comitatus Act violations (a federal law restricting the use of military for civilian law enforcement), the federal district court issued a permanent injunction prohibiting the Trump Administration from engaging in similar activity. The court's order was paused while the administration appealed to the Ninth Circuit.
The case is part of a broader legal challenge to the administration's National Guard deployment strategy. In October 2025, California secured a ruling blocking the deployment of California National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, against the objections of both states' governors. In December 2025, the federal district court issued a preliminary injunction ending the federalization and deployment of California National Guard troops in and around Los Angeles.
Attorneys General from Illinois, Oregon, and Washington D.C. also challenged similar National Guard deployments. In November 2025, Attorney General Bonta filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court supporting Illinois's case. The Supreme Court later rejected the Trump Administration's expansive view of presidential authority to federalize the National Guard, leaving in place an order blocking the deployment to Chicago.