A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles, and has directed Trump to 'return control of the California National Guard to Governor Newsom.'

Judge Charles Breyer a Clinton appointee, issued his ruling late Thursday, after Newsom requested to immediately restrict the troops' power on the ground, and suggested that at minimum, federal law required Trump to alert the governor's office. 

Breyer repeatedly emphasized during a hearing earlier that Trump is exercising presidential authority - not that of a King (playing right into the current protests, of course). 

"That’s the difference between a constitutional government and King George," said Breyer. "“It’s not that a leader can simply say something and then it becomes it. It’s a question of is a leader, a president or the governor, following the law as set forth in both the Constitution and statutes."

"That’s what a president, a governor or any leader must act under. Otherwise, they become something other than a constitutional officer."

Breyer also agreed with Newsom's legal argument that Trump's deployment was legally defective. 

That said, as Politico's Kyle Cheney points out, Breyer gave the Trump admin until Noon Friday, which "should be enough time for Trump to seek emergency appeal at the 9th Circuit and perhaps Supreme Court."

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