Appeals Court Halts Troop Removal — Legal Experts Respond

Alan Dershowitz at Manhattan criminal court

Protests erupted in Los Angeles following ICE’s arrest of over 150 undocumented immigrants, prompting California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta to file a lawsuit challenging the deployment of National Guard troops. California won the lawsuit, but an appeals court blocked removal of troops. Legal experts have argued the case is unlikely to succeed on appeal. Constitutional scholar Alan Dershowitz noted that federal courts rarely side against the president over national security decisions.

On June 17, the appeals court appeared skeptical of California’s arguments, according to legal experts. There is no final ruling but the administrative stay remains in effect, meaning the National Guard troops continue to be under federal control in Los Angeles. There is potentially a June 20 district court hearing.

Governor Gavin Newsom making media rounds

In response to ongoing unrest, President Donald Trump has deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to aid local law enforcement after rioters attacked ICE agents, looted, and vandalized property.

Rob Bonta, Attorney General of California

Dershowitz believes Governor Newsom’s lawsuit will ultimately lose on appeal, predicting that the Supreme Court would overturn it. He affirmed the president’s authority to deploy troops.

President Donald Trump talks with attorney Alan Dershowitz

Dershowitz said, "They will say, whether right or wrong, the president had the authority to make this decision and he had the authority to make it over the lack of consent of the governor."

Alan Dershowitz (r) is interviewed by Rabbi Moshe Scheiner

Dershowitz added, "Let’s be clear, there was violence. You can see it on television; there were bombings, fire bombings, and burnings of Teslas and other self-driving cars. There were rocks being thrown at ICE officers. There were threats against ICE officers, threats against their families. Was it a full-blown insurrection? No."

Attorney Alan Dershowitz during Palm Beach town council

Dershowitz stated, "You’ll get, you know, the governor of California will find a federal district judge probably one he was involved in appointing and you’ll get some district court judge saying, maybe even issuing an injunction saying, the president of the United States can’t do this."

Alan Dershowitz speaking at New College of Florida

Newsom has accused Trump of worsening the violence in Los Angeles, calling his actions reckless and unlawful. He noted his obligation to now manage the consequences of the president’s decisions.

Governor Gavin Newsom attends the NFC Championship

Newsom said, "Donald Trump is reckless, he’s immoral." He added, "He’s acting unlawfully. He’s putting people’s lives at risk. And it’s my job to clean up Donald Trump’s mess, because he’s making it by the hour."

Laura Mitchell covers U.S. politics & news for content partner Modern Newsstand LLC.