Landmark trial kicks off over Trump's use of US military in policing role

FILE PHOTO: Members of the California National Guard stand guard at the Paramount Business Center parking lot a day after clashes between protesters and law enforcement following multiple detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in the Los Angeles County city of Paramount, California, U.S., June 8, 2025. REUTERS/Jill Connelly/File Photo

(Reuters) -A landmark trial kicks off on Monday over the Trump administration's use of National Guard troops to support its deportation efforts and quell protests in Los Angeles, in a legal challenge highlighting the president's break from long-standing norms against deploying soldiers on American streets.

The three-day non-jury trial before U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco will determine if the government violated a 19th-century law that bars the military from civil law enforcement when it deployed troops to Los Angeles in June.