(LOS ANGELES) – Today, Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto announced that her office and its co-counsel, Democracy Defenders Fund, obtained the necessary court approval to file an amicus brief on behalf of the City of Los Angeles in the case Gavin Newsom v. Donald Trump, challenging the federal government’s deployment of National Guard troops and Marines in the City.
The City, as filed, strongly supports the Governor’s request for a temporary restraining order to immediately remove military forces from Los Angeles. The City knows that the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has the training, commitment and expertise to manage peaceful demonstrations and respond to public unrest, and believes that the federal deployment of the National Guard and Marines without the consent of state or local government is unlawful. Moreover, the manner in which the military deployment was executed and announced has inflamed the protests, escalated violence, frightened our communities and affected the City’s ability to carry out its traditional police power in managing these protests.
“The City made clear that it has a critical interest in ensuring the safety of its residents and in preserving their constitutional rights to peacefully assemble and speak freely,” said LA City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto. “Over the last few days, the City has worked tirelessly to quell violent outbursts while maintaining a space for its residents to exercise their First Amendment rights—just as it has done throughout its history. By granting our motion to file our brief, the Court recognizes the City’s interests in this case.”
You can read the brief here: Brief of the City of Los Angeles as Amicus Curiae in Support of Plaintiffs
You can read the order here: Order Granting Administrative Motion for Leave to File Brief of Amicus Curiae the City of Los Angeles in Support of Plaintiffs