Judge Finds Trump Is Illegally Using the Military As a ‘National Police Force’

As President Donald Trump threatens to deploy federal troops to Chicago in a continuation of his attempted power grab within prominent Democratic cities, a federal judge has ruled that his deployment of military personnel to Los Angeles in June violated the Posse Comitatus Act.

On Tuesday, Northern District of California Judge Charles Breyer ruled that the Trump administration “violated the Posse Comitatus Act,” which prohibits the use of the military as a mechanism of civilian law enforcement, when it deployed hundreds of members of the National Guard, and later U.S. Marines, to Los Angeles in response to protests against raids and arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“Congress spoke clearly in 1878 when it passed the Posse Comitatus Act, prohibiting the use of the U.S. military to execute domestic law,” Breyer wrote. “There were indeed protests in Los Angeles, and some individuals engaged in violence. Yet there was no rebellion, nor was civilian law enforcement unable to respond to the protests and enforce the law… In short, defendants violated the Posse Comitatus Act.”

Breyer added that Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “have stated their intention to call National Guard troops into federal service in other cities across the country — including Oakland and San Francisco, here in the Northern District of California — thus creating a national police force with the president as its chief.”

Hours before Breyer issued his ruling, Trump suggested on Truth Social that he’s planning to replicate his crackdown on blue cities — which has so far targeted Los Angeles and Washington D.C. — in Chicago.

“Chicago is the worst and most dangerous city in the World, by far. Pritzker needs help badly, he just doesn’t know it yet. I will solve the crime problem fast, just like I did in DC. Chicago will be safe again, and soon,” the president wrote.

The announcement for the president came after a notably violent Labor Day weekend in the city, during which 54 individuals were shot.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has rejected any sort of incursion into the city by the federal government. “No one in the administration — the president or anybody under him — has called anyone in my administration, or me. So, it’s clear that in secret they’re planning this — well, it’s an invasion with U.S. troops, if they in fact do that,” he told CBS’s Face The Nation on Sunday. Trending Stories First Look at ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ Promises ‘Bonkers, Off-the-Wall Energy’ Four Best Friends Made an Album as Kids. 25 Years Later, It's a Cult Classic See Cyndi Lauper Bring Out Joni Mitchell, Cher, SZA at Final Show of Farewell Tour Burning Man Homicide: Police Seek Help Identifying Victim

“We hope that they don’t send any troops along with ICE,” Pritzker added. “If they do, they’ll be in court pretty quickly, because that is illegal.”

With Breyer’s ruling against the Trump administration, Pritzker and other Democratic states looking to enjoin Trump’s attempted takeover of local law enforcement should expect more favorable outcomes in court.