California judge who blocked Trump National Guard order hit with impeachment resolution
A Republican lawmaker, Representative Randy Fine from Florida, is trying to impeach a federal judge named Charles Breyer because of a recent ruling that temporarily blocked former President Donald Trump from taking control of the California National Guard. This happened during several days of riots in Los Angeles earlier this month, which started after immigration officers raided neighborhoods that were mostly home to Hispanic and Latino residents. These raids led to large-scale protests, some of which turned violent, including confrontations with police and vehicles being set on fire.
President Trump felt that California’s Democratic leaders, including Governor Gavin Newsom, weren’t doing enough to calm things down. In response, he bypassed the state’s authority and sent in the National Guard to help restore order. However, Judge Breyer stepped in and issued a temporary legal order that blocked Trump’s move. The judge ruled that Trump did not follow the proper legal process that Congress requires and claimed Trump went beyond the powers granted to him by law. The judge also argued that the Constitution gives states control over their National Guard unless specific legal conditions are met, which he said Trump had ignored.
Representative Fine strongly disagrees with the judge’s actions. He believes the ruling was not based on the law but was instead politically motivated to oppose Trump. According to Fine, judges are supposed to apply the law fairly and not use their position to push political opinions. He says that when judges act this way and there are no consequences, it encourages them to keep doing it. That’s why he decided to file an impeachment resolution, which is a formal request to remove the judge from office.
Even though the resolution is unlikely to succeed—mainly because removing a federal judge requires a vote in the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats or may not be willing to act—Fine says the attempt is still important. He feels it sends a strong message that lawmakers are willing to stand up against what they see as unfair decisions from the courts. He admits that passing the resolution may be difficult, but he believes not using the tools the Constitution provides—like impeachment—would be a mistake.
This move is part of a broader pattern among some Republicans who have become increasingly frustrated with judges who have blocked Trump’s policies, especially around immigration and law enforcement. Some of Trump’s supporters have even called for multiple judges to be impeached in recent years, although Republican leaders in Congress haven’t shown much interest in going that far. They know that without enough support in the Senate, efforts like this are mostly symbolic.
Still, Fine says symbolic or not, it matters. He believes holding judges accountable, even just by calling attention to their actions, can have an impact. For him, it’s not just about removing one judge—it’s about standing up for what he sees as the proper limits of government power and making sure judges stick to their roles under the law.
