FIGHTING THE ABUSE OF MILITARY POWER
Newsom v. Trump
A bipartisan group of former governors is helping to fight President Trump’s unlawful domestic deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles.
THE IMPACT
This is a classic authoritarian turn — the first time in our history that a president has unilaterally deployed the military to address the kind of civil unrest that occurred in Los Angeles. If left unchallenged, it won’t be the last.
THE BRIEF
In June 2025, President Trump deployed thousands of National Guard troops to the streets of Los Angeles over the strong objections of state and local officials. In Newsom v. Trump, California is suing to fight this unlawful domestic deployment, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is considering the case. On behalf of a high-profile group of 25 bipartisan former Governors, Free + Fair filed two friend-of-the-court briefs urging the Court to block the federalization of the California National Guard in Los Angeles.
THE TEAM
Free + Fair is working pro bono with Governors Action Alliance on behalf of the bipartisan former governors.
CASE DOCUMENTS
THE GOVERNORS
- Jerry Brown, Governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019.
- Steve Bullock, Governor of Montana from 2013 to 2021.
- Arne Carlson, Governor of Minnesota from 1991 to 1999.
- Mark Dayton, Governor of Minnesota from 2011 to 2019.
- Jim Doyle, Governor of Wisconsin from 2003 to 2011.
- Parris Glendening, Governor of Maryland from 1995 to 2003.
- Jennifer Granholm, Governor of Michigan from 2003 to 2011.
- Bill Graves, Governor of Kansas from 1995 to 2003.
- Christine Gregoire, Governor of Washington from 2005 to 2013.
- Tony Knowles, Governor of Alaska from 1994 to 2002.
- Gary Locke, Governor of Washington from 1997 to 2005.
- Terry McAuliffe, Governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018.
- Janet Napolitano, Governor of Arizona from 2003 to 2009.
- Martin O’Malley, Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015.
- Deval Patrick, Governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015.
- Marc Racicot, Governor of Montana from 1993 to 2001.
- Bill Ritter Jr., Governor of Colorado from 2007 to 2011.
- Kathleen Sebelius, Governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009.
- Steve Sisolak, Governor of Nevada from 2019 to 2023.
- Eliot Spitzer, Governor of New York from 2007 to 2008.
- Ted Strickland, Governor of Ohio from 2007 to 2011.
- Tom Vilsack, Governor of Iowa from 1999 to 2007.
- Bill Weld, Governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997.
- Christine Todd Whitman, Governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001.
- Tom Wolf, Governor of Pennsylvania from 2015 to 2023.
