President Donald Trump is celebrating his victory in California after the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday allowed him to keep control of the National Guard troops he deployed earlier this month in response to Los Angeles protests over immigration raids in the city.
"BIG WIN in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on the President's core power to call in the National Guard!" Trump posted on his Truth Social page on Thursday night. "The Judges obviously realized that Gavin Newscum is incompetent and ill prepared, but this is much bigger than Gavin, because all over the United States, if our Cities, and our people, need protection, we are the ones to give it to them should State and Local Police be unable, for whatever reason, to get the job done."
Earlier Thursday, the three-person panel, which has two appointees from Trump's first term in office, halted a ruling from a lower court judge who said Trump acted illegally when he activated the Guard, despite the opposition of Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Trump had argued that the troops were needed to restore order, while Newsom said moving them in wasted resources, overruled local authority, and inflamed tensions in Los Angeles.
The president, in his post, said the appeals court ruling "is a Great Decision for our Country, and we will continue to protect and defend Law abiding Americans. Congratulations to the Ninth Circuit, America is proud of you tonight!"
The case is seen as potentially having wider implications on Trump's power to deploy soldiers within the United States.
Newsom won an early victory after suing to block Trump's actions, with U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, ruling against the president and stating that the Los Angeles protests fell "far short of 'rebellion.'"
Meanwhile, the Pentagon, before the court's ruling Thursday, ordered an additional 2,000 California National Guard troops into Los Angeles, where Mayor Karen Bass said the protests have largely died down.
The latest deployment brings the number of federal troops to 4,800, with 700 being U.S. Marines and the other 4,100 as California National Guard members.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.