Trial to start on whether deployment of National Guard to Los Angeles violated federal law
August 10, 2025
A federal judge in San Francisco will hear arguments on whether military troops deployed this summer by the Trump administration to Los Angeles violated a federal law that bars troops from conducting law enforcement duties within the country. Judge Charles Breyer will decide whether the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law that prevents the president from using the military as a domestic police force, was violated by the 4,700 California National Guard members and Marines sent following protests. The case could set precedent for how Trump can deploy the guard in the future in California or other states.