A federal appeals court rules that President Trump did not have legal authority to deploy the National Guard to the Los Angeles area last year. The Ninth Circuit’s decision follows a prior Supreme Court ruling that barred a similar National Guard deployment in Chicago, based on limits tied to when such power can be used.
In the Los Angeles case, the Ninth Circuit panel finds there is no plausible basis for concluding that the situation met the standard of a “rebellion” that would justify taking control of troops away from California’s governor. Outlets differ mainly in emphasis: one frames the case as applying the Supreme Court’s Chicago precedent to Los Angeles, while another highlights the appeals court’s characterization of Trump’s justification for the deployment and the narrowness of the legal basis for overriding state authority.
