In June, President Donald Trump sent thousands of troops to Los Angeles to stop protests over immigration arrests, despite strong opposition from California Governor Gavin Newsom.
This week, the Trump administration and the state of California began a three-day court trial over the move. Newsom said the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops was politically motivated and only made tensions worse.
Trump’s order also included sending about 700 active-duty Marines to the city. Most of the troops have since returned, but the federal government says a ruling in California’s favor could limit the president’s power to respond to emergencies inside the country.
Just hours before the trial started, Trump announced plans to send the National Guard to Washington, D.C., saying crime there was “out of control,” even though crime rates have recently dropped.
The case is being heard by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco. He will decide whether Trump’s use of troops in Los Angeles broke the Posse Comitatus Act—a law that restricts the military from enforcing civilian laws.
California’s lawyers showed photos and videos they say prove soldiers patrolled alongside local police, even when there was no clear threat from protesters. But Major General Scott Sherman, who led the mission, testified that troops were told to only defend federal workers and buildings, and to act only if there was a threat.
Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, both Democrats, argued that the troops weren’t necessary and took away resources needed for fighting wildfires and stopping drug smuggling at the border.
Earlier this year, Judge Breyer ordered Trump to return control of the National Guard to Newsom, but an appeals court put that decision on hold, saying Trump probably acted within the law.
Legal experts say the trial could set a major precedent. If Trump wins, it could give future presidents more freedom to send the military into U.S. cities without local approval. If California wins, it could restrict that power.
The case could eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court, even though nearly all the troops have already left Los Angeles.
