A federal judge on Wednesday declined to consider Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) request to remove National Guard troops from Los Angeles.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer indefinitely paused the state’s request for a preliminary injunction blocking hundreds of military troops from patrolling the city’s streets due to questions about whether he holds the authority to grant the demand when a higher court is already probing the matter.
The development comes after Breyer ruled last week that President Donald Trump’s move to deploy the military to Los Angeles earlier this year broke federal law, specifically the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits the use of federal troops to enforce civilian laws.
The Trump administration swiftly appealed the ruling in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where the case is now being examined.
The debate started in June when the president authorized thousands of National Guard troops to Los Angeles amid protests and riots against the Trump administration’s effort to deport illegal immigrants in the area. The president said troops were needed to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from violence and deter crime in the city.
