Daijiworld Media Network - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, Sept 3: A US federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration acted illegally when it deployed National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles in early June. The deployment was an attempt to quell protests against federal immigration raids.

Senior judge Charles Breyer of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a ruling stating that the Trump administration violated the Posse Comitatus Act. This 19th-century law prohibits the use of the U.S. military for domestic law enforcement without explicit approval from Congress.

The ruling, which bans the Trump administration from using military troops to "execute the laws" in California, asserted that while there were protests, "there was no rebellion, nor was civilian law enforcement unable to respond to the protests and enforce the law." It also noted that 300 National Guard members remained in Los Angeles almost three months after their initial deployment.

California governor Gavin Newsom, one of the plaintiffs in the case, praised the ruling, stating, "Today, the court sided with democracy and the Constitution. No president is a king -- not even Trump -- and no president can trample a state's power to protect its people." He called the administration's actions "illegal, authoritarian, and must be stopped in every courtroom across this country."

In response, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly called Breyer a "rogue judge" who was "trying to usurp the authority of the Commander-in-Chief." The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a notice of appeal and requested a stay of the ruling while the appeal is being decided.

According to Brenner Fissell of the National Institute for Military Justice, while the ruling's immediate impact is limited to California, it is expected to serve as a key reference for judges presiding over similar cases.