California Attorney General Rob Bonta has joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general and three governors in filing an amicus brief to oppose the Trump Administration’s emergency appeal regarding the deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. The brief, filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, urges the court to uphold a lower court’s order that blocked the deployment of National Guard units from D.C. and seven other states without D.C.’s consent.
Attorney General Bonta stated, “President Trump is engaging in a sweeping effort to deploy National Guard troops to police American cities. This unprecedented abuse of presidential authority is unlawful, and it’s putting our communities at risk. California has experienced first-hand the harms resulting from a continuous military presence. People scared to leave their homes. Local businesses losing customers. Distrust of law enforcement that makes our communities less safe. It’s past time the President ends this farce and allows National Guard troops to return to the essential roles they are actually trained for.”
The coalition argues that using military forces for local law enforcement disrupts the balance between civilian and military authority established by the Constitution. According to Bonta and his colleagues, deploying National Guard troops for these purposes infringes on powers reserved for states and localities since general police power is not granted to the federal government under constitutional principles.
California was among the first states affected by this type of federalized deployment without its governor’s approval. Over more than five months, California National Guard troops were stationed within state communities, which officials say led many residents to avoid public spaces and workplaces due to fear of a continued military presence. The involvement of federalized troops in civilian law enforcement also damaged trust between local police and community members—particularly during immigration raids early in their deployment—and diverted personnel away from important duties such as wildfire response and fentanyl interdiction.
In June 2025, most specialized fire crews from California’s National Guard were reassigned from wildfire-fighting operations during peak season so they could be deployed in Los Angeles.
The amicus brief emphasizes that National Guard members lack specific training required for civilian policing—such as knowledge of criminal procedure, civil rights protections, criminal investigation techniques, and de-escalation skills—which may create additional risks both for themselves and those they encounter while on duty.
Bonta is joined in this legal action by attorneys general from Maryland, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin; as well as governors from Kansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
