“The district court has no authority to usurp the president’s authority as commander in chief,” Kelly said in an emailed statement to the Southern California News Group. “The president exercised his lawful authority to mobilize the National Guard to protect federal buildings and personnel in Gavin Newsom’s lawless Los Angeles.”

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday temporarily blocked a federal judge's order that directed President Donald Trump to return control of National Guard troops to California after he deployed them in response to protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids.