California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that the Trump Administration has withdrawn its legal effort to block a federal court order ending the extended federalization and deployment of California National Guard troops in Los Angeles. This move follows a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Illinois v. Trump, which limited presidential authority over the federalization of National Guard units.
Earlier this month, the deployment of California National Guard troops ended after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit declined to pause a District Court injunction regarding their deployment. However, the troops remained under federal control until today’s filing, when the Trump Administration agreed to allow command of these troops to return to Governor Gavin Newsom.
Attorney General Bonta commented on the development: “For six months, California National Guard troops have been used as political pawns by a President desperate to be king. From the political display in MacArthur Park to their unlawful participation in indiscriminate immigration raids, the militaristic deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles streets has left lasting scars in Angeleno communities. There is a reason our founders decided military and civilian affairs must be kept separate; a reason that our military is, by design, apolitical,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Now, in the face of a stinging rebuke by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Trump Administration is backing away from its efforts to federalize and deploy California National Guard troops. I’m incredibly proud of my team who worked nights and weekends to defend the Constitution and bring about an end of the President’s unlawful overreach of executive power. While our rule of law remains under threat, our democratic institutions are holding. My office is not backing down — and we’re ready for whatever fights lie ahead.”
The California Attorney General’s office serves as chief law enforcement authority for the state and provides services such as legal representation, criminal investigations, forensic support, consumer protections and civil rights enforcement statewide according to its official website. The office also advances policies related to civil rights and environmental justice while promoting transparency through public data initiatives like OpenJustice.
Rob Bonta leads this office as part of California’s executive branch government structure according to official sources, with headquarters based in Sacramento.
