Trump celebrates "BIG WIN" as court says he can keep National Guard in LA
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Protesters confront California National Guard soldiers and police outside of a federal building on June 9 in Los Angeles. Photo: David McNew/Getty Images
The Trump administration can continue to use National Guard troops to respond to Los Angeles protests against federal immigration raids, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.
The big picture: President Trump celebrated the news on Truth Social, writing that it is a "big win" and a "great decision for our country." The president has federalized some 4,000 National Guard soldiers without the state's consent and mobilized more than 700 Marines to try to quell demonstrations against his mass deportation plan.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) sued the administration in an attempt to reverse the president's order as the pair remain embroiled in a simmering standoff.
- "The Judges obviously realized that Gavin Newscum is incompetent and ill prepared, but this is much bigger than Gavin, because all over the United States, if our Cities, and our people, need protection, we are the ones to give it to them should State and Local Police be unable, for whatever reason, to get the job done." Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Driving the news: The decision from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reverses a lower court ruling that found Trump acted illegally in deploying soldiers against the governor's wishes.
- The court wrote in an unsigned opinion Thursday, "that it is likely that the President lawfully exercised his statutory authority" under federal law.
- "Affording appropriate deference to the President's determination, we conclude that he likely acted within his authority in federalizing the National Guard," the opinion states.
Catch up quick: Last week, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Trump administration's deployment of the California National Guard can temporarily continue.
- With that move, the federal appeals court paused a ruling from U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer that had granted Newsom's request to block the administration's action while the three-judge panel considered the case.
- The Pentagon later said U.S. troops will not be responsible for law enforcement at the Los Angeles protests but instead will protect federal property and personnel.
What we're watching: There is a hearing in the case scheduled for Friday.
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