California Governor Gavin Newsom has had a dramatic week. A series of brutal and invasive ICE raids saw Los Angeles citizens erupt in protest, giving Donald Trump the excuse to send in first thousands of National Guard soldiers, then hundreds of Marines. They were supposedly there to “keep the peace”, though to Californians they felt more like an invading army.
Newsom quickly launched a legal challenge against Trump sending the troops in and while he was initially stymied, he has now triumphed. Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer conclusively ruled that Trump’s military actions against California are illegal, concluding that the protests fall “far short of rebellion”.
