Overview
- Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom filed a renewed motion in the Northern District of California to block continued federalization and deployment of California National Guard troops in the Los Angeles area and to return them to state command.
- California’s filing argues there is no lawful basis for ongoing deployments given the subsiding of June unrest and asks Judge Charles Breyer to enjoin extensions that the state says the administration has treated as a blank check.
- The Ninth Circuit recently clarified the district court’s jurisdiction and the case has restarted there, even as a circuit panel previously allowed federalization to continue and focused arguments on how long such deployments may last.
- The motion cites operational and fiscal impacts, including current orders extending at least into February 2026, an estimated cost of nearly $120 million, and the transfer of about 200 California Guard members to Oregon and additional personnel to Illinois.
- Separately, the Justice Department filed notice to appeal U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut’s permanent injunction barring Guard deployments to Oregon, and the Supreme Court requested additional briefing on whether §12406’s reference to “regular forces” includes active‑duty military.