(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump Friday morning thanked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit for its ruling that keeps the California National Guard, for now, under his control.
The 9th Circuit ruled Thursday night to put a temporary stay on an earlier U.S. District Court for Northern California ruling transferring the National Guard back to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“The Appeals Court ruled last night that I can use the National Guard to keep our cities, in this case Los Angeles, safe,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “If I didn’t send the Military into Los Angeles, that city would be burning to the ground right now. We saved L.A. Thank you for the Decision!!!”
In addition to the deployment of 4,000 National Guard members, Trump is deploying 700 Marines. Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman of the U.S. Army said the Marines would begin guarding the Wilshire Federal Building at noon local time Friday.
Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have opposed the use of Marines and the federalization of the California National Guard, saying that law enforcement in the volatile downtown area should be left to local authorities. The governor held a victory press conference Thursday night after U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer, appointed by President Joe Biden and brother of retired liberal U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, ruled to put the National Guard back under Newsom’s control.
But after receiving a 324-page appeal from the Trump administration, the 9th Circuit issued a stay and scheduled a hearing at noon June 17.
Both courts are based in San Francisco, and the 9th Circuit is known for its liberal rulings. Ultimately the lawsuit, which was filed by Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Tuesday, may be decided in the U.S. Supreme Court. National Guard members have been guarding downtown federal buildings since their arrival Sunday morning.
A mix of peaceful protests and riots has taken place after the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that resulted in the arrests of 118 illegal immigrants. More recent protests have been peaceful.
Downtown Los Angeles after dark has become calmer, according to arrest figures during the nightly curfew imposed following the violence and looting earlier this week.
The Los Angeles Police Department reported that on Thursday night, it made 33 arrests for failure to disperse, 13 arrests for curfew violations, one for pointing a laser at an airship (which is the police term for aircraft such as helicopters), one for a robbery warrant following a detention for curfew and one for resisting a police officer. Most of the arrests from the first two nights of the curfew on Tuesday and Wednesday were for failure to disperse, and the nightly number of arrests during the curfew has fallen from more than 200 on Tuesday night.
The fourth night of the dusk-to-dawn curfew is scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday.
This story includes reporting by staff reporters Tim Clouser and Kenneth Schrupp.
