Appeals court allows Trump to keep National Guard in L.A. with Marines on the way

A U.S. appeals court on Thursday allowed President Donald Trump to maintain his deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles amid protests over stepped-up immigration enforcement, temporarily pausing a lower court ruling that blocked the mobilization.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' decision does not mean that the court will ultimately agree with Trump, but it does leave command of the Guard with the president for now.

Earlier on Thursday, San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer found that Trump's deployment of the Guard was unlawful. Breyer's 36-page ruling had ordered the National Guard to return to the control of California Governor Gavin Newsom, who had brought the case.

It was a short-lived victory for Newsom, as Breyer's order was paused about two and a half hours later.

Asked for a comment, Newsom's press office referred to the governor's statement after the initial ruling, and noted that the appeals court put a temporary pause on the ruling but did not reverse it.