Court declares Trump's troop deployment to LA illegal, but ruling won’t apply to DC or elsewhere
ALSO INSIDE: Looks like Trump is making Rep. ‘Scumbag Mike’s’ Space Force dreams come true
Cam here 👋 bringing you your daily dose of what people are doing – good, bad, and otherwise – in the world of politics. We’re diving into the stories you won’t see anywhere else. And remember, you can also keep up with me over on TikTok and Bluesky.
Since day one of Trump’s political career, people have desperately attempted to normalize his absurd abuses of power and blatant corruption – and 10 years later, much of corporate media remains a victim of their own attempts to return to a sense of normalcy.
It’s time to stop sane-washing the insanity.
What Happened
*Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the result of the federal court order. It has been corrected to reflect that, while the judge determined Trump’s use of troops to be illegal, he did not order them to be removed from Los Angeles. We regret the error.
A federal judge determined the Trump administration’s use of active military in California was illegal, but a change in how troops have been ordered to act in other domestic deployments suggests the occupation in Los Angeles was a beta test to court-proof future military action against civilians.
On Tuesday, US District Judge Charles Breyer sided with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who sued President Donald Trump over his deployment of nearly 5,000 military service members to LA in June. Newsom successfully argued that the deployment violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits using the military for domestic law enforcement. The Trump administration claimed that the military was there to protect ICE agents during immigration raids, but proceeded to undercut their own argument almost immediately.
“President Trump and Secretary 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,” Breyer outlined in his ruling. “Because there is an ongoing risk that Defendants will act unlawfully and thereby injure Plaintiffs, Governor Newsom and the State of California, the Court enjoins Defendants from violating the Posse Comitatus Act.”
Breyer gave the Trump administration until September 12 for his order to go into effect,the ruling was narrowly tailored to only apply to those deployed in California, and will have no impact on National Guard members under Trump’s control in Washington, DC. The reason, according to a source within the DC Mayor’s office, is that troops stationed in the nation’s capital are “just standing around,” and haven’t been ordered to do anything other than to create a presence around the city.
The order to remain hands-off appears to be an evolution in the administration’s strategy; an attempt to avoid similar court battles while Trump positions his national police forces throughout the country. The President has said as much, publicly targeting regions where opposition against his administration is strongest, such as DC, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
Once in place, military personnel would be allowed by the courts to maintain a presence, ready to spring into action should Trump or Congress find reason to justify an exception to the Posse Comitatus Act, based on one of three situations: rebellion, invasion, or insurrection.
Attempts to Sanewash
Federal judge rules President Trump illegally deployed troops to Los Angeles
Trump broke the law when he deployed troops to Los Angeles, judge rules
Trump deployment of military troops to Los Angeles was illegal, judge rules in blistering opinion
Far-Right Spin
Liberal judge rules Trump deployment of military to L.A. exceeded powers
Clinton-Appointed Judge Rules Trump’s LA Troop Deployment Illegal
It’s easy for individual members of Congress to get overlooked by national outlets as they quietly skate to reelection again, and again, and again. The following is an overview of different congressional representatives you may not have heard of, with fun facts about their origin stories they’ve tried to keep out of the public narrative.
US Rep. Dale Strong, Alabama’s 5th Congressional District
Since taking office in 2023, Rep. Strong has:
Seen his net worth decrease slightly — most of his money’s in real estate — from $25 million to $20 million
Sponsored 26 bills
Authored one bill that has been signed into law, which redrew federal courthouse boundaries in northern Alabama
Fun Facts
Rep. Dale “Scumbag” Strong has come out swinging under the Trump administration, clearly looking for his “Red, White, and Greenland” moment. He’s introduced legislation—that hasn’t gone anywhere—with catchy titles like the “No More Funding for NPR Act,” the “Deport Illegal Voters Act,” and the “Promoting American Patriotism In Our Schools Act.”
A few of his proposals seem a little desperate to catch Trump’s attention, however, like the one to strip Dr. Anthony Fauci of security detail, or another commemorating the fourth anniversary of someone in the Trump administration recommending Strong’s district as the location for Space Command Headquarters. While Trump did announce Tuesday that Space Force’s headquarters will be moving to Alabama, it appears to have less to do with Strong’s pandering and more to do with being petty, as the original headquarters location was chosen by longtime Trump nemesis and fellow “senior moment” executive, Joe Biden.
While running for Congress, Strong earned the “scumbag” moniker with a false claim during a debate about his opponent using their position as a school superintendent to get “personal sexual gratification.” He’s since become much more careful about his public interactions by avoiding public scrutiny altogether. Strong has gone as far as to stage photos that look like a town hall to give the appearance of meeting with constituents, while people in the photo said he showed up, “bragged the entire time about how he and Trump are buddies,” and left without taking any questions.
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