Trump wins in appellate court can continue to direct National Guard in California

June 13, 2025 – A federal appeals court has sided with President Donald J. Trump (R) over control of the National Guard in California.

Late on Thursday a federal district judge blocked President Trump's deployment of 2,000 National Guard to defend federal buildings and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents(ICE) agents against violent rioters. That order has been subsequently blocked.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked District Judge Charles Breyer's order that President's Trump's deployment of the California National Guard was unlawful and that he immediately hand over control of the Guardsmen to California Governor Gavin Newsom (D). Newsom has sided with the protestors – many of them illegal aliens who are challenging the federal government's authority to deport them,

This issue remains in the court and there is no guarantee that it will ultimately side with the President, but the ruling leaves Trump in control of the Guard for now.

Meanwhile the 2,000 Guardsmen will be supplemented with 700 Marines today.

Newsom, rather than thanking the President for restoring order to his largest city, filed a lawsuit over the President's decision deploy members of the Guard without Newsom's consent. Newsom could have authorized the Guard to intervene himself; but apparently would rather watch rioters attack the police and burn his city.

Breyer's now vacated order would have taken effect at noon Pacific time on Friday.

The L.A. riots have sparked protests across the nation with protests planned in Mobile, Birmingham, Huntsville, Portland, San Francisco, New York, Washington, Boston, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta and many more.

Police arrested ten protestors in Portland Thursday for their behavior outside of an ICE facility.

Judge Charles Breyer was appointed to the bench by President William J. Clinton (D) decades ago. He is the brother of retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.

(Original reporting by the Hill and USA Today contributed to this report.)