Judge Charles R. Breyer ruled that former President Donald Trump’s actions regarding the California National Guard were illegal and unconstitutional, demanding their return to the control of Governor Gavin Newsom. The case stemmed from Trump’s 2020 decision to federalize the California National Guard for deployment along the US-Mexico border, initially presented as counter-narcotics operations. However, California officials and the National Guard Association argued this was a thinly veiled attempt to circumvent state authority and implement Trump’s immigration policies.
The lawsuit, brought by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, argued that Trump’s actions violated the Constitution, which grants states control over their National Guard units unless they are called into federal service for specific purposes. Bonta emphasized that the border mission exceeded the scope of authorized federal activity and intruded on California’s sovereign authority. The ruling affirmed that the President’s power to mobilize the National Guard is not unlimited and must adhere to constitutional constraints.
Judge Breyer’s decision underscored the importance of federalism and the limitations on presidential power. He found that the Trump administration had overstepped its authority by deploying the National Guard for purposes outside the scope of legitimate federal concerns, essentially using the guard to enact federal immigration policy under the guise of counter-narcotics efforts, thereby violating the established constitutional framework.
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