Governor Lamont Statement on Court Ruling That President Trump’s Deployment of U.S. Military in Los Angeles Violated Federal Law

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Ned Lamont issued the following statement in response to the release of a ruling today by a federal judge determining that President Donald Trump violated federal law when he ordered the National Guard and Marines to carry out law enforcement activities in and around Los Angeles this summer:

"Today's ruling affirms what we have been saying all along - deploying a state's National Guard to conduct civilian law enforcement activities without the request and consent of that state's governor is illegal and an abuse of power. I am opposed to it here in Connecticut and stood with Governor Newsom during his opposition in California this past June. Using the military against American civilians is neither the most effective nor most efficient way to prevent crime and increase public safety. This court ruling makes it clear that the military cannot be politicized and used in our neighborhoods against U.S. citizens."