A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from deploying California’s National Guard to Los Angeles, ruling the action illegal and ordering control of the troops be returned to Governor Gavin Newsom.

The court’s decision came after the state filed a lawsuit challenging Trump’s move to send troops without the governor’s approval.

The Trump administration had argued that the deployment was necessary to prevent Los Angeles from “burning down” during protests over immigration crackdowns.

But local authorities insisted they had the situation under control and did not need military support.

Judge Charles Breyer said the legal question was whether Trump followed the law set by Congress on using a state’s National Guard.

“He did not,” Breyer wrote. “His actions were illegal... He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith.”

Although the judge stayed the order until Friday to allow time for an appeal, the administration filed one almost immediately. On social media, Newsom responded to the ruling, saying: “The court just confirmed what we all know — the military belongs on the battlefield, not on our city streets.”

Trump had ordered the deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles. Some of the troops were given authority to detain people until police arrived.

The administration said the move was aimed at protecting immigration agents as they conducted operations across the city.

During a courtroom hearing, a justice department lawyer argued that Trump did not need Newsom’s consent. “Governor Newsom was fully aware of this order…he objected to it,” said attorney Brett Shumate. “There is one commander-in-chief of the US armed forces.”

Judge Breyer disagreed, stating, “The president isn’t the commander-in-chief of the National Guard,” though he acknowledged there are limited situations when that could change. He pointed to the Constitution multiple times during the hearing, even holding up a small booklet copy. “We’re talking about the president exercising his authority. And the president is, of course, limited in his authority,” he said. “That’s the difference between a constitutional government and King George.”

The Trump administration cited a law that permits the president to federalize the National Guard in times of rebellion. But California argued the protests in Los Angeles did not meet that standard.

“At no point in the past three days has there been a rebellion or an insurrection. Nor have these protests risen to the level of protests or riots that Los Angeles and other major cities have seen at points in the past, including in recent years,” the state’s lawsuit said.

More than 300 people had been arrested and a major freeway shut down, but the state maintained the response did not justify bypassing the governor’s authority.