In case against Trump, Newsom expects a temporary win
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AS SEEN ON SUBSTACK
Via Lia Russell...
America’s endurance as a democratic nation rests with a three-judge federal appeals panel in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday.
“We’ve seen just the total corruption of (House) Speaker (Mike) Johnson, who’s completely capitulated and rolled over. There’s no checks and balances left in Congress,” Newsom told Aaron Parnas, a liberal influencer and son of a disgraced former Trump aide. “They’re a lap dog of the Trump administration. That means there’s one (check) left, and that’s the courts, and we’re about to go into court, quite literally, in a few minutes.”
Newsom spoke to Parnas via the media platform Substack about 30 minutes before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco considered the fate of a temporary injunction, currently on pause, that blocks President Donald Trump from taking control of the California National Guard.
Two of the three judges on the panel are Trump appointees, though Newsom said he was confident that California would succeed. A ruling is expected later this week.
Parnas is the son of Lev Parnas, a former Rudy Giuliani aide who helped orchestrate the 2019 scheme to strong-arm Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden, who at the time was about to seek the presidency.
“This is about federalism, this is about the 10th Amendment,” Newsom said. “This is about the rule of law. This is about our Constitution.”
Trump’s June 7 order authorizing the mobilization of Marines and Guard members to quell protests in Los Angeles allows the Pentagon to do so in any state.
“It happens to be in LA now, it will be in your city next,” Newsom said. “If we’re successful, I believe we should be, and will be, that will be a big day for the rule of law.”
YOLO DA ENDORSES REPUBLICAN STEVE HILTON
Via Nicole Nixon...
Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton snagged an endorsement from Jeff Reisig, the district attorney of Yolo County and a leader behind last year’s Prop 36.
Reisig joined Hilton Tuesday night in front of a shuttered San Joaquin County prison as the former Fox News host unveiled his “crime-fighting plan,” which would reopen closed-down state prisons, tighten early release credits and expand treatment and rehabilitation programs for incarcerated people.
Reisig, who is not registered with any political party, has been the Yolo DA since 2007 and has been praised for pioneering new diversion and restorative justice programs.
Recently, he’s sharpened his criticism of how Democrats in the state Capitol handle crime.
“Steve Hilton understands what too many in Sacramento have forgotten: that fighting crime is the foundation of a functioning society,” Reisig said in a statement. “He has the courage to challenge the status quo and the common sense to know that true justice means protecting victims, holding offenders accountable, and delivering help to those battling addiction and mental illness. That’s the leadership California needs right now.”
Reisig was a main author and proponent of Prop 36, which passed overwhelmingly in the 2024 election and toughened punishment for repeat theft and drug offenders. He’s sided with Republican and moderate Democratic lawmakers in an ongoing battle over budget money to enforce the initiative.
Hilton is running for governor in the 2026 election. He faces fellow Republican and Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco and at least eight major Democratic candidates in next June’s primary election.
ELECTIONS EXECUTIVE ORDER ON PAUSE
A U.S. District Court judge in Massachusetts has temporarily blocked parts of Trump’s executive order to impose new state voting guidelines.
The order, signed by Trump in March, requires proof of citizenship to vote, prohibits ballot counting after election day, and asks state election officials to share voter databases and prosecute voter fraud.
States that do not comply could have some of their federal funding pulled, according to the order by Judge Denise Casper. The injunction pauses provisions related to proof of citizenship and ballot counting deadlines.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta co-led 19 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against Trump’s order in April. The attorneys general called the order an overstep of the executive branch’s authority and an unconstitutional power grab.
The preliminary injunction issued Friday is a good sign for the ultimate success of the suit as one of the items judges consider when issuing an injunction is each party’s likelihood of winning at trial. Court documents also say there is a risk of irreparable harm without an injunction as the order would require states to overhaul their voting procedures.
In effect, the injunction stops Trump’s order from taking full effect while the attorneys general continue arguing their case.
“Nothing is more fundamental to our democracy than the right to vote. We will continue to fight to ensure the President’s anti-Democratic, anti-American attacks on voting are never implemented,” Bonta said in a press release Friday.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“As the proud son of immigrants from Mexico, I grew up believing in the promise of America. In the right to speak out when our fundamental rights are threatened.I will always keep doing my job and fighting for the people of California.”
— Sen. Alex Padilla on X
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This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 4:55 AM.
