The Trump administration faces multistate legal challenges after deploying National Guard troops to several major cities. The National Guard consists of part-time soldiers who maintain civilian jobs or attend school when not activated for emergencies, natural disasters, or civil unrest. Both state governors and the president can activate these forces, but presidential domestic deployments typically occur at state request.
President Trump's summer deployment of California National Guard troops to Los Angeles marked the first time since 1965 that a president summoned state Guard members against a governor's wishes. A federal judge ruled the deployment illegal, stating Trump had transformed the troops into a national police force in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. The 19th-century law prohibits federal troops from conducting domestic civilian law enforcement operations.
President Trump's summer deployment of California National Guard troops to Los Angeles marked the first time since 1965 that a president summoned state Guard members against a governor's wishes. A federal judge ruled the deployment illegal, stating Trump had transformed the troops into a national police force in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. The 19th-century law prohibits federal troops from conducting domestic civilian law enforcement operations.
