The Trump administration has pulled back from a legal standoff over control of National Guard troops in Los Angeles, retreating from an effort that had kept hundreds of California soldiers under federal command despite a lower court ruling.
In a short filing Tuesday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, Justice Department lawyers said they would no longer fight a court order restoring authority over the Guard to California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The administration formally withdrew its request to maintain federal control while the appeal moves forward.
Federal Lawyers Step Aside
In the filing, government attorneys said they “do not oppose lifting of the partial administrative stay and hereby respectfully withdraw their motion for a stay pending appeal.” The decision removes a key procedural barrier that had delayed enforcement of the trial court’s ruling.
The move follows last week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in Trump v. Illinois, which cast fresh doubt on the administration’s legal rationale for using National Guard troops in domestic law enforcement roles. While Tuesday’s filing does not concede the merits of California’s case, it signals a tactical retreat that could hasten the Guard’s return to state control.
