Colorado AG files court brief opposing Trump military escalation in L.A.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser joined a court brief Thursday in support of California’s lawsuit looking to block President Donald Trump’s federalization and deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles. 

More than 20 attorneys general from Democratic-led states signed onto the brief in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California that says Trump’s actions are “unlawful, unconstitutional, and undemocratic.” 

Trump has ordered a detachment of 700 U.S. Marines and thousands of National Guard troops to deploy to L.A. over the objections of state and local leaders, the first such move by a U.S. president since 1965. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has sued to block the deployments, which he said “crossed a red line.”

The attorneys general said in the brief supporting Newsom’s case that the circumstances necessary for the president to legally federalize the National Guard are not present.

“By calling forth troops when there is no invasion to repel, no rebellion to suppress, and when state and local law enforcement is fully able to execute the laws, the President flouts the vision of our Founders, undermines the rule of law, and sets a chilling precedent that puts the constitutional rights of Americans in every state at risk,” the brief says. 

The memorandum Trump issued authorizing the military escalation is not specific to L.A. or California, leaving open the potential for similar responses in other states. He says the action was necessary to protect U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement agents and the broader public amid demonstrations that have damaged property. 

The amicus brief says court intervention is “vitally necessary to vindicate state sovereignty and protect the States’ National Guards.” It says each of the involved states are implicated by the “unlimited scope” of Trump’s memorandum, which allows him to deploy National Guard troops of any state for 60 days. 

Democratic leaders in Colorado decried the Trump administration’s response, and Colorado anti-ICE protests have grown since the escalations in L.A., with more than 1,000 people gathering outside the Colorado Capitol Tuesday night. 

Weiser, a Democrat who is running for governor in 2026, said the president must have a legal reason to federalize National Guard troops and that he “can’t just make up an emergency out of thin air.” State governors have authority over their National Guard units, but in certain circumstances, such as the danger of invasion, rebellion, or inability to enforce laws, the president has the authority to “federalize” them. 

“President Trump’s decision to deploy armed soldiers into the streets of our cities to engage in civil law enforcement violates our laws and Constitution and undermines the liberties we hold dear as Americans,” Weiser said in a statement.