Newsom Calls It an End to Intimidation
Newsom responded sharply on social media, calling the withdrawal an acknowledgment that the federal strategy was untenable. “This admission by Trump and his occult cabinet members means this illegal intimidation tactic will finally come to an end,” the governor wrote on X. He added that he is awaiting a formal 9th Circuit ruling to return the California National Guard fully to state service.
Troops Still in Limbo
Court records show roughly 300 California Guard members remain under federal control, including about 100 who were still active in Los Angeles earlier this month. In mid-December, video reviewed by The Times showed dozens of troops quietly departing the Roybal Federal Building downtown in the middle of the night after an appellate court ordered them to decamp. Armed soldiers had patrolled the building since June.
Judge Warned of Constitutional Fallout
Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer ruled that President Trump had illegally seized control of California’s National Guard during protests tied to immigration enforcement. Breyer ordered the remaining federalized troops returned to Newsom, rejecting the administration’s claim that once federalized, Guard units could remain under presidential command indefinitely.
Breyer warned that such a theory would tilt the constitutional balance between state and federal authority, granting the president unchecked power over state military forces.
