Gov. Gavin Newsom filed the case in a televised speech Tuesday night, with President Trump’s decision to send troops to Los Angeles immigrant protests putting the country on a cliff of authoritarianism.
The governor of California urged Americans to stand at Mr. Trump, calling it a “dangerous moment” between democracy and the country’s long-standing legal norms.
“California may be the first, but it’s obviously not going to end here,” Mr. Newsom told a Los Angeles studio’s camera. “Other countries are next. Democracy is next.”
He added: “In front of our eyes, democracy is under attack – when we worry about the moment we arrive.”
Mr. Newsom posted protests on the fifth day of Los Angeles’ attacks on federal immigration that sent fear and anger from many communities in Southern California. He said Mr. Trump “incited a flammable situation” by taking over the National Guard in California and summoning 4,000 soldiers and 700 Marines.
The governor, who was considered a possible Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, was called “Democracy at the Crossroads.” It aired on some national networks and on Mr. Newsom’s social media accounts and had audio issues during opening hours.
The current political deadlock makes it possible for Mr. Newsom to have a wider platform, and he has been plagued with President Trump and Republicans for several days in interviews and social media.
“Authoritarian regimes are first and foremost targeting those who cannot defend themselves,” Mr Newsom said in his speech. “But they don’t stop there. Trump and his loyalists thrived in terms of division because it allowed them to take more power and exert more control.”
The speech was an unusual move for Mr. Newsom, who suffers from dyslexia and does not like to read from a remote compiler to give a formal speech. But he has been using all possible channels of communication to raise alerts about Mr. Trump’s extraordinary measures to provide domestic use to mobilize the military.
Since the civil rights movement in the 1960s, a president has sent the National Guard to quell the unrest without the support of state governors.
He said: “I ask everyone to take the time to think about this dangerous moment.
