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Federal Court Hears Arguments Trump Violated Posse Comitatus Act by Deploying Troops to L.A.

HeadlineAug 12, 2025

In California, a federal judge is hearing arguments about whether President Trump violated federal law when he deployed the National Guard and active-duty Marines to suppress the protests in Los Angeles against his mass deportation campaign. Governor Gavin Newsom is arguing that Trump’s order violated an 1878 law known as the Posse Comitatus Act, which prevents the president from using the military as a police force against civilians. According to the Pentagon, 250 National Guard members remain deployed in California. Click here to see our interview with the California attorney general.

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