A federal judge in California has ruled that the way President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles this summer was illegal.
The ruling comes as Trump seeks to use National Guard troops in order to crack down on crime in other US cities and support immigration enforcement.
US District Judge Charles Breyer said Trump violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits the power of the federal government to use military force for domestic matters.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said that a rogue judge is trying to usurp the authority of the Commander-in-Chief to protect American cities from violence and destruction.
The ruling is on hold until 12 September.
The Trump administration will likely appeal against the ruling.
The President is committed to protecting law-abiding citizens, and this will not be the final say on the issue, Ms Kelly said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom stated that the court sided with democracy and the Constitution.
Trump deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June in response to protests against immigration raids.
The White House argued it was necessary to quell violence, but California officials asserted that their law enforcement could handle the situation without military intervention.
The president has also deployed hundreds of National Guard troops in Washington DC and is contemplating sending troops to Chicago soon.
Judge Breyer's order only applies in California but could indicate upcoming legal challenges against Trump's plans for military involvement in domestic issues.
After Trump deployed troops to Los Angeles, Governor Newsom sued the administration for alleged violations of the Posse Comitatus Act.
This law, first passed in 1878, prohibits using the US military in domestic law enforcement unless authorized by Congress.
Judge Breyer found that the way the Trump administration employed the National Guard violated these limitations.
He highlighted activities like setting up protective perimeters, traffic blockades, crowd control, and the like as illegal under the law.
Breyer expressed that Trump's executive orders regarding the National Guard raise serious concerns about the potential of creating a national police force at the President's command.
He specifically prevented the National Guard from engaging in law enforcement tasks such as arrests, apprehensions, searches, security patrols, and crowd control.
Additionally, a separate legal challenge from California sought to regain control of the state’s National Guard contingent, claiming that Trump had unlawfully bypassed state authority.
Judge Breyer previously ruled in favor of Newsom, but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had sided with Trump.
