California Attorney General Rob Bonta and California Gavin Newsom filed a federal lawsuit against President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in response to their orders seeking to federalize the California Guard for 60 days under 10 U.S.C. § 12406.

On June 6, 2025, ICE conducted multiple immigration raids in Los Angeles. Los Angeles residents gathered in response to protest these raids and the cruelty and lawlessness with which the Trump administration has executed its immigration agenda. Protests continued the following days; most of those involved exercised their First Amendment rights in a peaceful and legally compliant manner. Reports of individuals breaking the law and acting violently were being handled by state and local police.

On the evening of June 7, 2025, President Trump issued a formal memorandum entitled “Department of Defense Security for the Protection of Department of Homeland Security Functions,” purporting to authorize the Department of Defense to call up 2,000 California National Guard personnel into federal service for a period of 60 days. In the early hours of June 8, 2025, the Department of Defense redirected hundreds of National Guard troops from San Diego to Los Angeles, without authorization from the governor and against the wishes of local law enforcement — an inflammatory escalation unsupported by conditions on the ground.

On June 9, 2025, Attorney General Bonta and Governor Newsom filed a lawsuit asking the court to hold unlawful and set aside the president’s order federalizing the National Guard, arguing that such action exceeds the federal government’s authority under the law and violates the Tenth Amendment.

On June 12, 2025, the federal district court issued a temporary restraining order against the federal government and ordered the Trump administration to return control of the National Guard to Governor Newsom. The Trump administration appealed to the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, which granted a stay of the temporary restraining order on June 19, 2025, allowing the Guard to remain deployed while the case proceeds.

President Trump’s order calling federalized National Guard troops into Los Angeles – over the objections of the Governor and local law enforcement – is unnecessary and counterproductive. It’s also deeply unfair to the members of the National Guard who are hard at work every day protecting our state, preparing for and responding to emergencies, and training so that, if called, they can fight our nation’s wars. 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. Attorney General Rob Bonta