By Forum Staff
The City—as part of a coalition of 13 localities from around the nation—has filed an amicus brief supporting California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ongoing case against the federal government’s unlawful deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles.
In the brief, the coalition urges the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to affirm a district court ruling in Newsom v. Trump, which enjoined the federal government from deploying federal troops in Los Angeles. The coalition calls the federal deployment of armed soldiers on city streets an “unprecedented assault on fundamental American values” that has no basis in law and undermines public safety.
The federal government has also sent troops to Washington, D.C. and has repeatedly made clear that New York, Chicago, Baltimore, Oakland, and other cities are next. The brief encourages the court to put an immediate end to this unchecked federal overreach and violation of the principles of federalism.
In the amicus brief—prepared by the City of Los Angeles—the coalition argues that the federal government’s appeal provides no legal justification for deploying federal troops in Los Angeles. The coalition asserts that there was no invasion or rebellion directed toward the federal government that would have allowed the federal government to lawfully deploy the National Guard under Title 10 of the U.S. Code (10 U.S.C. § 12406), nor did false claims of “lawless mob violence” permit the federal government’s extreme response.
Further, the brief highlights how the federal deployment of combat-trained soldiers to Los Angeles impeded the city’s ability to carry out policing activities, sowed chaos, and escalated violence at protests. The brief contends that cities—not the federal government—hold the lawful expertise and authority over domestic law enforcement and are better suited to ensuring public safety while protecting First Amendment rights.
“We do not need a deployment of the National Guard to our city,” Mayor Eric Adams said on Wednesday.
In June 2025, the Trump administration federalized the National Guard in Los Angeles in response to protests of immigration enforcement operations. On June 12, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that the deployment violated federal law because the president had exceeded the narrow authority granted to him by Congress and violated the Tenth Amendment. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit stayed the district court ruling while it considered the merits of the federal government’s appeal.
“This brief highlights the risks of allowing the National Guard to become President Trump’s personal police force,” said City Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant. “An unlawful military presence trampling on the sovereign rights of cities and undermining local law enforcement efforts should not be tolerated in any of our communities.”
Joining the City of New York and the City of Los Angeles are the cities of Bell Gardens, Long Beach, Monterey Park, Santa Ana, Santa Monica, Santa Paula, and West Hollywood, California; Chicago, Illinois; Boston, Massachusetts; and Baltimore, Maryland; as well as the County of Los Angeles, California.
