A series of major legal rulings this week signaled a shift in favor of executive authority and conservative legislative efforts, delivering key victories for President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers.
On Thursday, a federal appeals court unanimously upheld President Trump’s June 8 deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles, ruling that he had lawfully exercised his statutory authority in response to widespread unrest. The decision marks a notable affirmation of presidential power in national security matters.
CNN legal analyst and former prosecutor Elie Honig described the ruling on The Situation Room as “a big win” for Trump. “So the core ruling here from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is yes, the federal courts have some role in reviewing the president’s decision to deploy the National Guard; however, the courts cannot just second-guess the president and overturn him if they disagree,” Honig said. “Unless his decision is patently absurd or based on bad faith, then we have to step back and let the president exercise this power.”
Trump’s deployment came after violent riots erupted in Los Angeles following a series of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting illegal immigrants with criminal records. Alongside the National Guard, approximately 700 U.S. Marines were also mobilized to support law enforcement. Rioters reportedly set vehicles on fire, attacked officers, and threw Molotov cocktails and rocks at federal agents.
One such incident resulted in charges against Emiliano Garduno-Galvez, a previously deported Mexican national, who now faces attempted murder charges for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at ICE agents on June 7. A Customs and Border Protection agent also sustained a hand injury after rioters shattered a vehicle windshield with rocks in Paramount, California.
Despite the appeals court ruling, California Governor Gavin Newsom vowed to continue legal challenges. “The president is not a king and is not above the law,” Newsom said in a statement Friday. “We will press forward with our challenge to President Trump’s authoritarian use of U.S. military soldiers against citizens.”
Separately on Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling allowing American citizens to pursue lawsuits against Palestinian groups for injuries or deaths linked to terrorism. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that Congress had the constitutional authority to enact the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act of 2019, which places the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization under U.S. federal court jurisdiction.
The legislation had previously been struck down by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, but the high court’s decision clears the way for terror victims and their families to seek accountability. Among the plaintiffs is the family of Ari Yoel Fuld, a U.S. citizen who was fatally stabbed in a 2018 terror attack in the West Bank.
Also this week, the Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s ban on transgender surgeries for minors in a 6–3 decision. The ruling affirms the authority of state legislatures to regulate medical treatments for children and is seen as a major victory for conservative lawmakers who have introduced similar measures across the country.
Since 2020, Republican-led states have passed a wave of laws aimed at limiting access to puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender reassignment surgeries for minors, citing concerns about irreversible harm and long-term consequences.
President Trump, who campaigned on ending what he called “transgender lunacy,” has voiced support for such legislation and has taken steps to roll back Biden-era policies that expanded protections for transgender individuals in youth healthcare.
Together, the decisions mark a week of momentum for the Trump administration and its allies, as legal challenges to executive authority, state sovereignty, and national security policy continue to play out in the courts.