“For six months, California National Guard troops have been used as political pawns by a President desperate to be king:

California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued the following statement just now. This is the headline and summary. 

"Attorney General Bonta Marks Major Litigation Victory as Trump Administration Backs Away from Its Efforts to Federalize and Deploy California National Guard"

"Following Supreme Court decision, Trump Administration withdraws motion to stay, allows lower court order ending the extended federalization of the California National Guard to go fully into effect."

CA AG Bonta statement:

California Attorney General Rob Bonta today celebrated the Trump Administration’s decision to withdraw its legal effort to block an order by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ending the continued federalization and deployment of California National Guard troops in and around Los Angeles. 

The Trump Administration’s capitulation comes on the heels of a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in a related case, Illinois v. Trump, rejecting its nearly limitless conception of presidential authority to federalize the National Guard and the activities those troops can engage in.  

The deployment of California National Guard troops ended earlier this month after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit refused to pause the District Court’s preliminary injunction order with respect to the deployment, but the troops remained federalized. With today’s filing, the Trump Administration agrees to allow the District Court’s order with regard to the federalization of these troops to go into effect, allowing for the return of command of these troops to Governor Newsom for the first time since they were initially federalized in early June. 

“For six months, California National Guard troops have been used as political pawns by a President desperate to be king. From the political display in MacArthur Park to their unlawful participation in indiscriminate immigration raids, the militaristic deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles streets has left lasting scars in Angeleno communities. There is a reason our founders decided military and civilian affairs must be kept separate; a reason that our military is, by design, apolitical,” said Attorney General Bonta.

“Now, in the face of a stinging rebuke by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Trump Administration is backing away from its efforts to federalize and deploy California National Guard troops. I’m incredibly proud of my team who worked nights and weekends to defend the Constitution and bring about an end of the President’s unlawful overreach of executive power. While our rule of law remains under threat, our democratic institutions are holding. My office is not backing down — and we’re ready for whatever fights lie ahead.”