Attorney General Bonta, Governor Newsom Secure Court Order Blocking Unlawful Use of Federalized National Guard for Law Enforcement in California Communities

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta and California Governor Gavin Newsom today secured a temporary restraining order blocking President Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the U.S. Department of Defense from using federalized California National Guard to patrol our communities and engage in law enforcement activity. The order, issued by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, found that President Trump’s actions were illegal — “both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution” and ordered the Administration to “therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith.” The order is stayed until 12pm PT tomorrow. 

“With this order, the Trump Administration is blocked from using federalized California National Guard troops to patrol our neighborhoods or carry out civilian law enforcement work,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The right to peacefully protest is a cornerstone of any healthy democracy. We will not stand idly by as the President attempts to intimidate and silence those who disagree with him. As the President attempts to inflame tensions and stoke fear in our communities, California and our local law enforcement stand ready to protect our communities and their right to make their voices heard safely and peacefully.”   

On June 9th, Attorney General Bonta and Governor Newsom filed a lawsuit against President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth in response to their orders seeking to federalize the National Guard for 60 days under 10 U.S.C. § 12406. 

In the early hours of Sunday, June 8th, the U.S. Department of Defense, at the direction of the President, redirected hundreds of California National Guard troops from San Diego to Los Angeles, without authorization from the Governor and against the wishes of local law enforcement. In total, the Department has deployed 4,000 California National Guard troops from across the state, as well as an additional 700 Marines, an inflammatory escalation unsupported by conditions on the ground. In response, Attorney General Bonta and Governor Newsom filed a motion for temporary restraining order in their case, arguing that the use of these troops is illegal, creates imminent harm to state sovereignty, deprives the state of its use of the California National Guard, escalates tensions, and promotes rather than quells civil unrest. 

A copy of the court’s order is available here.