U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, presiding over a case in San Francisco regarding President Donald Trump’s deployment of military forces to Los Angeles in June, pressed the Department of Justice for answers during a Tuesday hearing.
“Where are the limits? Where are the limits?” the judge repeatedly asked, cutting off the DOJ, according to reporting by journalist Adam Klasfeld.
Breyer is hearing arguments to determine whether the Trump administration broke federal law by deploying National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles in response to June protests over immigration raids. The operation, which aimed to disperse demonstrators in Los Angeles against immigration raids, was criticized by legal experts.
During Tuesday's hearing, the judge emphasized the inherent danger of law enforcement, asking if that justified a carte blanche use of military force inside American cities. The DOJ lawyer, in seeking to defend the deployment, offered no clear boundaries, prompting concern about unchecked executive authority.
On the opposing side, California's legal team offered vehement objections. “There has been a standing army in Los Angeles for two months,” the state’s lawyer declared.
The attorney further argued forcefully for judicial intervention.
“Plaintiffs ask that the court issue a permanent injunction and bring a halt to the defendants’ military crusade across this state," she said.
California’s counsel also unpacked the layered symbolism behind the operation’s code name: Excalibur — “inspired by the sword of King Arthur,” she explained — symbolizing “kingship and divine right of rule.”
It was, she argued, a troubling emblem of the Trump administration’s mindset.
Roughly 250 National Guard personnel continue to be stationed in the Los Angeles region. The San Francisco trial has the potential to define boundaries on Trump’s power to activate the National Guard in the future — both within California and beyond.
