LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Friday welcomed a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, saying it effectively blocked the deployment of California National Guard troops in Los Angeles for the time being.
"The Ninth Circuit's decision means that, come Monday, there will be no National Guard troops deployed in California. Let me repeat: For the first time in six months, there will be no military deployed on the streets of Los Angeles," Bonta said in a news release.
The release explained that a partial administrative stay issued by the Ninth Circuit early Friday allowed the first part of a U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California order barring the deployment of California National Guard troops in Los Angeles to remain in effect for now, while pausing the second part of the order that would have returned control of the federalized troops to the state governor.
The decision marked the latest development in an ongoing legal battle between California leaders and U.S. President Donald Trump over control of the state's National Guard troops.
District Judge Charles Breyer for the Northern District of California ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration could not deploy members of the California National Guard in Los Angeles and must return control of the troops to the state. The Trump administration then appealed to the Ninth Circuit.
The Trump administration deployed roughly 4,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles after protests erupted in Southern California over an immigration crackdown in June.
California Governor Gavin Newsom sued to block the federalization and deployment of California National Guard troops, and Breyer issued a temporary restraining order on June 12, saying Trump had overstepped his presidential authority in ordering the deployment. However, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an emergency stay just hours after Breyer's decision, allowing the federalization and deployment to continue.
So far, the Trump administration has released most of the federalized members of the California National Guard, but has kept roughly 300 troops under federal control. U.S. Justice Department lawyers have argued that the administration still needs those Guard members to help protect federal personnel and property in Los Angeles.
Bonta noted in Friday's news release that the Ninth Circuit's latest decision "was not final" but "a gratifying and hard-fought step in the right direction." He said that "there is no crisis to justify the National Guard's continued presence, and we look forward to continuing to prove that in court." ■