Trump administration appeals ruling LA troop deployment violated federal law

Published September 3, 2025 12:22pm ET



The Trump administration said in a court filing Wednesday that it will appeal a federal judge’s Tuesday ruling that the deployed National Guard troops in Los Angeles unlawfully acted as a police force.

The filing marks the second time the administration has appealed a ruling from U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in the lawsuit filed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and other California officials over the deployment of federal troops to Los Angeles in June. Breyer’s Tuesday ruling found the Trump administration violated the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law that prevents federal troops from being used for regular law enforcement activities.

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