On Friday night, Federal District Judge Charles Breyer issued a restraining order prohibiting President Donald Trump from deploying California National Guard units to Los Angeles without the permission of local authorities. This was reported by The New York Times.
The ruling comes into effect at noon on Friday Pacific time and requires that control of the Guard be immediately returned to the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom.
In his ruling, Judge Breyer noted that the president had exceeded his authority and violated the Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees state autonomy in matters of internal security. The decision notes that the attempted federal intervention without a request from the state was not only illegal, but also exacerbated political tensions in the country.
The court’s decision came after a video of federal agents detaining a Democratic senator from California was released, causing a wave of outrage. Meanwhile, riots broke out in Newark at a private immigration detention centre, and hundreds of people protested in Chicago against the administration’s aggressive immigration policies and the suppression of protests.
The White House is expected to appeal the decision, but analysts point to an important precedent for limiting the powers of the federal government in state internal affairs.
