LOS ANGELES – City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto announced today that her office is leading a national coalition of 36 cities and counties, and the United States Conference of Mayors, in filing an amicus brief to support Governor Gavin Newsom’s lawsuit challenging the federal government’s deployment of the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles. Specifically, the brief asks the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to deny the federal government’s motion for a stay after the District Court found that the military activities in Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act.
The brief supports the District Court’s judgment and order that the federal government violated the Posse Comitatus Act, the 150 year old law that prevents the military from being used as a domestic police force. The district court’s ruling reaffirmed that there are constitutional and statutory limits on federal military involvement in local law enforcement. The brief also highlights the fact that local law enforcement has the training and the capability to conduct civilian law enforcement activity, and that the presence of armed forces in Los Angeles has had a chilling effect on the region’s economy.
“I am proud to be leading this coalition to defend our City against this Administration’s unconstitutional overreach and am grateful to our partners for standing with us in these unprecedented times," said Hydee Feldstein Soto, Los Angeles City Attorney. “Our cities have witnessed the federal government’s assault on our communities and a blatant disregard for the rule of law. Since June 6 when these activities began, my office has been committed to protecting our communities, and will continue using every tool to push back against the administration’s unlawful tactics.”
In addition to the US Conference of Mayors, which represents more than 1,400 mayors across the nation, the coalition includes local cities such as Long Beach, Santa Monica, West Hollywood and Huntington Park, plus New York, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston, Minneapolis, and Hartford. It also includes the Counties of Los Angeles, Santa Clara and Sonoma in California and Boulder County, CO.
The Brief of Amicus Curiae can be read here: Brief of Amicus Curiae the Cities of Los Angeles, CA, Alameda, CA, Albany, NY, Albuquerque, NM, Baltimore, MD, Beaverton, OR, Bell Gardens, CA, Boston, MA, Burlington, VT, Chicago, IL, Iowa City, IA, Hartford, CT, Huntington Park, CA, Long Beach, CA, Madison, WI, Minneapolis, MN, Monterey Park, CA, New York, NY, Oakland, CA, Pittsburgh, PA, Portland, OR, Providence, RI, Rochester, NY, Saint Paul, MN, Salinas, CA, San Diego, CA, San Jose, CA, Santa Ana, CA, Santa Monica, CA, Seattle, WA, And West Hollywood, CA; the Counties of Los Angeles, CA, Boulder, CO, Santa Clara, CA, And Sonoma, CA; Tacoma, WA, and the United States Conference of Mayors in support of Plaintiffs-Appellees.
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit: Case no. 25-5553; Gavin Newsom, in his official capacity as Governor of the State of California; State of California, Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. Donald Trump, in his official capacity as President of the United States; Pete Hegseth, in his official capacity as Secretary of the Department of Defense; Department of Defense, Defendants-Appellants.
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Hydee Feldstein Soto is the 43rd Los Angeles City Attorney, elected in November 2022 and sworn into office in December 2022. Her team of nearly 1,000 legal professionals, including 500+ attorneys, carries out legal work for the City of Los Angeles at her direction and under her supervision. She is the first female City Attorney in L.A. history.