A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that the Trump administration must end its deployment of the California National Guard at Los Angeles and return control of the troops to Governor Gavin Newsom.

The order, issued by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, addresses the ongoing presence of troops sent to the region in June amid protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, despite objections from state officials.

“The Founders designed our government to be a system of checks and balances,” Judge Breyer wrote in the ruling. “Defendants, however, make clear that the only check they want is a blank one.”

The ruling has been temporarily stayed until Monday to allow the Trump administration time to appeal, which the White House has indicated it will do.

The legal challenge was initiated by Mr. Newsom, a Democrat, in June after President Trump federalized thousands of California National Guard troops ostensibly to protect federal property during protests. While the initial force numbered in the thousands, about 300 troops have remained under federal control for six months. 

Judge Breyer noted that the administration has not provided sufficient evidence that the execution of federal law was being impeded.

“Six months after they first federalized the California National Guard, Defendants still retain control of approximately 300 Guardsmen, despite no evidence that execution of federal law is impeded in any way — let alone significantly,” Judge Breyer wrote. He also criticized the administration for sending California troops to other states, writing that it was “effectively creating a national police force made up of state troops.”

White House spokesman Abigail Jackson defended the president’s actions. “President Trump exercised his lawful authority to deploy National Guard troops to support federal officers and assets following violent riots that local leaders like Newscum refused to stop,” Ms. Jackson said in a statement. “We look forward to ultimate victory on the issue.”

The latest ruling follows a complex legal battle. Earlier this year, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals initially upheld the president’s authority to deploy the guard. However, Mr. Newsom and the state of California filed a new challenge, arguing that with the protests having largely subsided, the emergency justification for federal control no longer existed.

Mr. Newsom celebrated the court’s decision on social media. “Donald Trump diverted these brave men and women from their vital public safety operations and deployed them against the very communities they took an oath to serve,” he posted on X. “Today’s ruling is unmistakably clear: the federalization of the California National Guard must end.”

The case is one of several legal challenges across the country regarding the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops to various cities, including Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., raising questions about presidential authority and the role of state-controlled forces.