A Republican congressman is moving to impeach a federal judge who temporarily halted President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in California amid riots in Los Angeles earlier this month.
Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., announced Friday that he is introducing articles of impeachment against U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, accusing him of issuing a politically motivated ruling that interfered with Trump’s authority to respond to civil unrest.
“The goal is to get judges to do their jobs,” Fine told Fox News Digital. “If we’re not going to try to hold accountable the ones that aren’t, then they have no incentive to stop.”
The controversy stems from days of unrest in Los Angeles, sparked by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in predominantly Hispanic and Latino neighborhoods. Protests erupted, some turning violent, with cars set ablaze and clashes breaking out between demonstrators and law enforcement.
In response, President Trump ordered the National Guard into the city—bypassing Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom—arguing that local officials had failed to get the situation under control.
Critics said the move inflamed tensions and sidestepped constitutional limits. The state of California sued, and Judge Breyer issued a temporary injunction blocking Trump’s deployment of federal troops.
In his opinion, Breyer wrote:
“At this early stage of the proceedings, the Court must determine whether the President followed the congressionally mandated procedure for his actions. He did not. His actions were illegal—both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment.”
Breyer ordered that command of the California National Guard be returned to Governor Newsom.
However, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Breyer’s ruling last week, siding with the Trump administration and affirming the president’s authority to federalize the Guard.
Breyer now joins a growing list of federal judges under scrutiny by House Republicans for rulings that have stalled Trump’s executive actions. Though GOP leaders in the House have shown little enthusiasm for pursuing judicial impeachments—given their slim odds of success in the Senate—Fine defended the move as an important message.
“I don’t know that we can pass it. I don’t know that the Senate would remove him from office,” Fine admitted. “But failing to use the remedies the framers gave us is a mistake.”
The case underscores ongoing Republican efforts to challenge Democratic opposition to Trump’s immigration crackdown and reassert executive authority in the face of judicial pushback.
