A federal judge in California on Tuesday ruled that the Trump administration violated a 19th-century law when it mobilized 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles in June.
"The evidence at trial established that Defendants systematically used armed soldiers (whose identity was often obscured by protective armor) and military vehicles to set up protective perimeters and traffic blockades, engage in crowd control, and otherwise demonstrate a military presence in and around Los Angeles," U.S District Court Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco said in a 52-page filing. "In short, Defendants violated the Posse Comitatus Act," he said.
Lawyers representing California argued during a three-day trial last month that President Donald Trump had exceeded his authority by deploying federal troops after thousands of protesters took to the streets of downtown L.A. to protest his immigration policies.
California had asked Breyer to order the Trump administration to return control of the remaining troops to Gov. Gavin Newsom and to stop using the military “to execute or assist in the execution of federal law.”
The Department of Justice countered that the deployment was necessary to protect federal property and personnel, and that the troops acted within the confines of an obscure law called the Posse Comitatus Act. The 1878 statute prohibits the president from using the military as a domestic police force without approval from Congress.
(Photo reporting partner Getty Images)