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By Sonam Sheth
Evening Politics Editor
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A federal judge on Tuesday denied the state of California's request for a restraining order that would have immediately blocked the Trump administration from using the military in Los Angeles to quell widespread demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The judge, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, is the brother of former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump deployed thousands of National Guard troops in Los Angeles, against the wishes of California Governor Gavin Newsom and local officials, to respond to anti-ICE protests after the agency carried out a series of raids in downtown L.A.
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The raids are part of the Trump administration's broader crackdown on undocumented migrants, which has swept up people who are legally permitted to be in the U.S. and resulted in some individuals being wrongly deported.
The state sued the Trump administration after the president deployed the National Guard, accusing the president of making an "unprecedented power grab" by circumventing Newsom and L.A. officials to send in the troops.
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What To Know
Breyer serves as the senior judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. He was nominated by then-President Bill Clinton in July 1997 and confirmed by the Senate four months later. He assumed senior status in December 2011.
Breyer got his undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 1963 and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law three years later, in 1966.
On Tuesday, the judge declined to grant California's request for a restraining order that would have immediately blocked Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth from using the military in L.A.
In asking for the restraining order, the state said Trump and Hegseth "intend to use unlawfully federalized National Guard troops and Marines to accompany federal immigration enforcement officers on raids throughout Los Angeles."
"They will work in active concert with law enforcement, in support of a law enforcement mission, and will physically interact with or detain civilians," lawyers for California said in their filing. "These unlawful deployments have already proven to be a deeply inflammatory and unnecessary provocation, anathema to our laws limiting the use federal forces for law enforcement, rather than a means of restoring calm."
"They must be stopped, immediately," the filing said.
Although Breyer rejected the request for an immediate restraining order, he scheduled a hearing on the issue for Thursday.
The legal developments came after days of political unrest in L.A. over ICE operations that targeted immigrant communities with labor-intensive industries.
The ICE raids resulted in more than 50 people being arrested and detained, sparking widespread anti-ICE demonstrations across the city, some of which devolved into looting and vandalism.
Trump deployed 4,000 National Guard troops to L.A. since the protests started unfolding and mobilized 700 Marines to respond, saying he sent in the troops because Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass had lost control of the protests, a charge both officials have denied.
The Los Angeles Police Department also stated on Monday that Trump's decision could introduce logistical challenges to safely handling the demonstrations, which had become more scattered and less concentrated overnight.
Trump is the first president in 60 years to deploy the National Guard to a state against the governor's wishes. The last time it happened was 1965, when Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to Alabama to protect civil rights activists marching from Selma to Montgomery.
What People Are Saying
Kathryn Barger, a Los Angeles County Supervisor and L.A.'s only elected Republican, told Newsweek: "The deployment of National Guard troops is a significant action that must be approached with great care and coordination. While I understand the urgency that may prompt federal involvement, I believe any such deployment must be done in close partnership with state and local agencies to ensure the safety and well-being of our communities. Effective use of this powerful resource depends on clear communication, mutual goals, and a unified command structure."
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a news release on Monday: "Let me be clear: There is no invasion. There is no rebellion. The President is trying to manufacture chaos and crisis on the ground for his own political ends. Federalizing the California National Guard is an abuse of the President's authority under the law – and not one we take lightly. We're asking a court to put a stop to the unlawful, unprecedented order."
What Happens Next
Trump refused to provide a definitive timeline for when he would withdraw the National Guard from L.A., telling reporters on Tuesday that the troops would remain there "until there's no danger."
The president has also not ruled out invoking the Insurrection Act to clamp down on the protests, telling reporters, "If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We'll see."
Update 6/10/25, 3:08 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 6/10/25 5:22 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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