”One of the cornerstones of our nation and our democracy is that our people are governed by civilian, not military, leadership”, Newsom writes on X.
”California will stand up for these principles in court."
Newsom announces that he, as Governor of California, has filed a lawsuit on Monday against Donald Trump and Defense Minister Pete Hegseth.
The lawsuit concerns Trump's decision to order about 2,000 national guards to Los Angeles due to the partially violent protests in recent days.
At the same time, government officials confirm that Trump has decided to double the force from the national guard to a total of around 4,000, writes the news agency AP.
”A dangerous president”
Newsom believes that Trump has broken the law by calling in the national guard on his own, which is normally subordinate to the governor.
Gavin Newsom writes in a separate post on X that the decision to call in more soldiers is ”pointless” and ”disrespectful to the soldiers”.
”This is not about public safety. It's about stroking a dangerous president's ego”, he writes.
Regarding the 700 marines, Newsom writes that ”they are heroes” who should not be used against the population "to fulfill a dictatorial president's crazy fantasy”.
The marines will ”seamlessly integrate” with the national guards already in place in Los Angeles, writes the US Northern Command in a press release.
A government official tells AFP that the soldiers will help protect federal officials and federal buildings.
Massive protests
When it comes to the right to call in the national guard for federal service, Trump's government refers to a law that can be applied in cases of ”riot or danger of riot”.
”If we hadn't done it, Los Angeles would have been completely destroyed", Trump writes on Truth Social.
In another post, he writes that ”if they spit, we strike back”.
The massive protests that have been going on in central Los Angeles since Friday are directed against the migration authority ICE and its increased raids against residents in predominantly Latino areas.
