LOS ANGELES — The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday temporarily blocked a federal judge’s order that directed President Donald Trump to return control of National Guard troops to California after he deployed them there following protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids.
The court said it would hold a hearing on the matter on Tuesday. The ruling came only hours after a federal judge’s order was to take effect at noon Friday.
Earlier Thursday, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled the Guard deployment was illegal and both violated the Tenth Amendment and exceeded Trump’s statutory authority. The order applied only to the National Guard troops and not Marines who were also deployed to the LA protests. The judge said he would not rule on the Marines because they were not out on the streets yet.

A member of the National Guard stands outside the Wilshire Federal Building on Thursday in Los Angeles.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who had asked the judge for an emergency stop to troops helping carry out immigration raids, had praised the earlier ruling.
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“Today was really about a test of democracy, and today we passed the test,” Newsom said in a news conference before the appeals court decision.
The White House had called Breyer's order “unprecedented” and said it “puts our brave federal officials in danger.”
“The district court has no authority to usurp the President’s authority as Commander in Chief,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement. "The President exercised his lawful authority to mobilize the National Guard to protect federal buildings and personnel in Gavin Newsom’s lawless Los Angeles. The Trump Administration will immediately appeal this abuse of power and looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue.”

Sen. Monique Limón, D-Calif., speaks Thursday during a rally denouncing ICE raids in Ventura, Calif.
Marines in civil disturbance training at nearby base
About 700 Marines have been undergoing civil disturbance training at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach in Orange County, California. Nicholas Green, an attorney for the state, told the court: “I have been told by the office of the governor that within the next 24 hours, 140 Marines will replace and relieve National Guard members in Los Angeles.”
Typically the authority to call up the National Guard lies with governors, but there are limited circumstances under which the president can deploy those troops. Trump federalized members of the California National Guard under an authority known as Title 10.
Title 10 allows the president to call the National Guard into federal service under certain limited circumstances, such as when the country “is invaded,” when “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government,” or when the president is unable “to execute the laws of the United States.”
Breyer said in his ruling that what is happening in Los Angeles does not meet the definition of a rebellion.
“The protests in Los Angeles fall far short of ‘rebellion,’” he wrote.

Los Angeles Metro police on horseback charge protesters Wednesday in Los Angeles.
California sued the federal government
Newsom sued to block the Guard’s deployment against his wishes. California later filed an emergency motion asking the judge to block the Guard from assisting with immigration raids.
The governor argued that the troops were originally deployed to protect federal buildings and wanted the court to block the troops from helping protect immigration agents during the raids, saying that involving the Guard would only escalate tensions and promote civil unrest.
Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, commander of Task Force 51, which is overseeing the Guard troops and Marines sent to Los Angeles, said that as of Wednesday about 500 of the Guard troops had been trained to accompany agents on immigration operations. Photos of Guard soldiers providing security for the agents have already been circulated by immigration officials.
None of the Marines have been trained to go on immigration raids, and it is not yet clear if they eventually will, Sherman said.
Trump improperly called up the Guard, judge says
In his broad ruling, the judge determined Trump had not properly called the Guard up in the first place.
The lawsuit argued that Title 10 also requires that the president go through governors when issuing orders to the National Guard.
Brett Shumate, an attorney for the federal government, said Trump complied with the statute by informing the general in charge of the troops of his decision and would have the authority to call in the Guard even if he had not.
In a brief filed ahead of the Thursday hearing, the Justice Department said Trump’s orders were not subject to judicial review.
“Courts did not interfere when President Eisenhower deployed the military to protect school desegregation. Courts did not interfere when President Nixon deployed the military to deliver the mail in the midst of a postal strike. And courts should not interfere here either,” the department said.
“Our position is this is not subject to judicial review,” Shumate told the judge.
Breyer, who at one point waved a copy of the Constitution, said he disagreed.
“We’re talking about the president exercising his authority, and the president is of course limited in that authority. That’s the difference between a constitutional government and King George,” he said.

Protesters are loaded onto Los Angeles Police Department buses Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Protests intensified
The protests over immigration raids in Los Angeles intensified after Trump called up the Guard and have since spread to other cities, including Boston, Chicago and Seattle.
Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Mayor Karen Bass and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth.
Photos: Protesters clash with law enforcement in Los Angeles

California National Guard guard the Federal Building on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Diego Coloma rests on a railing as he looks on at law enforcement officers during a protest on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A man raises his fist as California National Guardsmen look on during a protest on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Demonstrators march during a protest Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Protesters gather to denounce ICE, U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement, operations Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo Damian Dovarganes)

California Highway Patrol officers clash with protesters on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

California Highway Patrol push protesters back along a street during a protest on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A protester yells at police and federal agents in an action to denounce the ICE, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, operations in the area Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A protester is arrested by California Highway Patrol near the federal building in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Protesters are detained by law enforcement near the federal building in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A protester is arrested by California Highway Patrol near the federal building in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A protester offers a flower to Los Angeles police officers in riot gear while they attempt to clear a street in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, June 9, 2025. (AP Photo Jae Hong)

A person carrying multiple flags walks past a burning car during protests over the Trump administration's immigration raids in Los Angeles, Monday, June 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Protesters jump over a fence to avoid being kettled by police during protests over the Trump administration's immigration raids in Los Angeles, Monday, June 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

An injured protester is tended to by another during protests over the Trump administration's immigration raids in Los Angeles, Monday, June 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Protesters gather outside the federal building to denounce the ICE, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, operations in the area Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Tear gas fills the street as protesters confront Border Patrol personnel during a demonstration over the dozens detained in an operation by federal immigration authorities a day earlier, in Paramount, Calif., on Saturday, June 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A car burns during a protest in Compton, Calif., Saturday, June 7, 2025, after federal immigration authorities conducted operations. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A person carries an injured protester to cover during a protest in Compton, Calif., Saturday, June 7, 2025, after federal immigration authorities conducted operations. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Authorities stand in tear gas while trying to clear protesters at the metropolitan detention center in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Jae Hong)

A protester is detained by police in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A protester is detained in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A police officer's face is covered in pepper spray outside the Metropolitan Detention Center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Jae Hong)

Maribel Parra screams as protesters confront a line of police near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Jae Hong)

Protesters are seen on the 101 Freeway near the Metropolitan Detention Center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A protester throws a smoke canister on the 101 Freeway near the Metropolitan Detention Center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Protesters confront police on the 101 Freeway near the Metropolitan Detention Center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A protester holds a sign as a Waymo taxi burns near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A police officer fires a soft round near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Protesters take cover behind chairs near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Officers make their way down a ramp to the 101 Freeway near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Matt Hobbs uses milk after being teargassed near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Two California Highway Patrol officers try to dodge rocks being thrown near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A protester throws a scooter at a police vehical near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

EDS NOTE: OBSCENITY A flash bomb explodes on the 101 Freeway near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

People take cover as a fire work explodes during a protest near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A woman waves the Mexican flag as flames erupt from a burning dumpster during a protest in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A California Highway Patrol officer pulls an electric scooter off a vehicle on a highway as protesters throw objects at the police vehicles near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)