Sacramento, June 11 (IANS) A federal judge rejected California Governor Gavin Newsom’s emergency request to stop the Trump administration from deploying military forces in Los Angeles immediately, dealing a blow to the state’s efforts to challenge federal authority over domestic military operations.
US District Judge Charles Breyer declined to issue a temporary restraining the order that would have blocked approximately 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines from patrolling the city immediately. Instead, Breyer granted the Trump administration until 2:00 p.m. Wednesday to file its response to California’s emergency motion, Xinhua news agency reported.
The ruling came after California’s officials argued that President Donald Trump’s deployment violated federal law, including the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits active-duty armed forces from conducting civilian law enforcement.
Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta claimed in the Tuesday morning’s motion that the military presence created “immediate and irreparable harm” to state sovereignty.
Federal government lawyers countered by calling Newsom’s request “legally meritless” and warned that blocking the deployment would be “extraordinary, unprecedented, and dangerous.”
They argued such action would “jeopardize the safety of Department of Homeland Security personnel and interfere with the Federal Government’s ability to carry out operations.”
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the military assignment would continue for 60 days at an estimated cost of 134 million US dollars.
The deployment represents one of the largest domestic military operations in recent years. Breyer, who is the brother of retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, scheduled a hearing for 1:30 p.m. Thursday local time to consider California’s motion.
The Trump administration must file their opposition brief by 11:00 a.m. Wednesday local time, with California allowed to respond by Thursday morning.
If Breyer ultimately rules against California, the state could appeal to the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which has a narrow majority of Democratic appointees.
California’s underlying lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the deployment will continue, regardless of the outcome of the temporary restraining order.
–IANS
int/rs
