The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Friday, Oct. 23, upheld a lower court’s order blocking the Trump Administration’s federalization and deployment of California National Guard troops in and around Los Angeles, according to Attorney General ’s office.
The ruling concerns the temporary restraining order California won from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California after the June 2025 deployment. That order directed the administration to end the Los Angeles deployment and return command of the remaining troops to Gov. . Bonta’s office said the Ninth Circuit affirmed the finding that the administration exceeded its legal authority and violated the Constitution, and rejected the administration’s attempt to withdraw its appeal of the order.
In a separate statement, Newsom’s office said the Ninth Circuit found the federalization and deployment was an abuse of the president’s authority and a “violation of the constitutional separation of powers.” The governor’s office said the court also rejected the administration’s assertion that there was a “rebellion” in Los Angeles that warranted federalizing the Guard, holding that the claim was not “a colorable assessment within a ‘range of honest judgment.’” The office described that finding as a safeguard ahead of next month’s elections.
“Once again, the courts have rejected the Trump Administration’s attempts to circumvent the law for its own political agenda,” Bonta said in a statement. “Deploying the National Guard in Los Angeles with no rhyme or reason was a clear example of federal overreach, and it will not be tolerated.”
Newsom called it “a crucial day for the rule of law” and said California’s challenge “created essential legal precedent that not only protects Californians but all Americans.” “California continues to stand as a first line of defense against ’s authoritarianism,” he said.
Bonta and Newsom sued in June 2025 over orders to federalize the Guard and use troops for civilian law enforcement in Los Angeles. In August 2025, the attorney general’s office presented evidence of Posse Comitatus Act violations during a three-day trial, and the district court later granted a permanent injunction barring the same or similar activity. That injunction is temporarily paused while the Ninth Circuit holds the federal government’s appeal in abeyance, the office said. According to the governor’s office, the suit was filed after President Trump called for Newsom’s arrest; the office noted that under the California Constitution, the governor is commander-in-chief of the California National Guard.
In October 2025, Bonta’s office secured a final ruling blocking the deployment of California Guard troops to Portland, Oregon. In December 2025, the district court granted a preliminary injunction that ended the continued federalization and deployment of California Guard troops in and around Los Angeles; the federal government appealed, then moved to dismiss its own appeal, which the Ninth Circuit granted.
Bonta also filed an amicus brief in November 2025 in Trump v. Illinois, the Chicago Guard deployment case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court later rejected the administration’s expansive view of presidential authority to federalize the Guard, his office said. The governor’s office said Friday’s decision builds on that ruling, which it said rejected one argument the president had raised for federalization.
State
Rob Bonta
Attorney General · Democrat
Named 2 times in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
State
Gavin Newsom
Governor · Democrat
Named 5 times in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
Federal
Donald J. Trump
President of the United States · Republican
Named 2 times in this story.
Portrait: Daniel Torok / The White House (public domain)
Sources & methodology
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