A federal appeals court ruled Friday that President Trump lacked legal authority to deploy National Guard troops in Los Angeles last summer during protests against his immigration crackdown, dealing the administration a second major defeat on executive power limits.
The Ninth Circuit panel affirmed a lower court’s preliminary injunction blocking the deployment, following the Supreme Court’s reasoning from a similar case involving Chicago protests last year. The decision marks another judicial rebuke of Trump’s use of military force on domestic soil.
No Evidence of Organized Rebellion Found
The court rejected the administration’s core argument that conditions in Los Angeles on June 7, 2025 constituted a “rebellion or danger of rebellion” against federal authority—the legal threshold required to federalize National Guard troops without state consent.
“A determination that the conditions in Los Angeles on June 7, 2025, constituted ‘a rebellion or danger of rebellion’ does not reflect a colorable assessment within a range of honest judgment,” wrote Judge Jennifer Sung, a Biden appointee, in the split decision.
The panel found no evidence of organized activity among protesters. Violence that did occur was “sporadic or impromptu,” not the coordinated insurrection the statute requires, according to the court’s analysis of last year’s events.
Second Setback in Federal Troop Deployments
The ruling follows established precedent from the Supreme Court’s decision on Chicago, which set strict boundaries on presidential power to deploy military forces domestically. Legal scholars view these cases as critical checks on executive authority during civil unrest.
California National Guard troops were stationed at the federal building entrance in downtown Los Angeles during the protests, which erupted in response to what demonstrators called an “unprecedented immigration crackdown” in Southern California.
The administration has not yet announced whether it will appeal to the full Ninth Circuit or petition the Supreme Court. The preliminary injunction remains in effect, preventing similar deployments without meeting the rebellion standard or obtaining state cooperation.
Key Points
- Federal appeals court ruled Trump exceeded authority deploying National Guard in LA during immigration protests last June
- Panel found no evidence of organized rebellion required by law, only sporadic violence
- Second major defeat for administration on domestic military deployments following Supreme Court’s Chicago ruling
https://www.courthousenews.com/ninth-circuit-says-trump-had-no-authority-to-deploy-national-guard-in-la/ – October 23, 2026
