California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Friday blasted a federal appeals court decision that cleared the way for President Donald Trump to keep using the National Guard to respond to immigration protests in Los Angeles, vowing that the “fight doesn’t end here.”

The court’s decision, announced Thursday, rejected Newsom’s central claim that Trump’s decision to federalize the state National Guard was beyond judicial review.

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“The court rightly rejected Trump’s claim that he can do whatever he wants with the National Guard and not have to explain himself to a court,” Newsom posted on X shortly after midnight. “The President is not a king and is not above the law. We will press forward with our challenge to President Trump’s authoritarian use of U.S. military soldiers against citizens.” 

The federal appeals court unanimously declared that a judge in San Francisco made a mistake last week when he ordered Trump to return control of the troops to Newsom. 

In a 38-page decision, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that conditions in Los Angeles justified Trump’s decision to assume federal control of California’s National Guard to enforce federal immigration laws.

A lower court had previously found that the protests did not rise to the level required for Trump to invoke the rarely used law allowing him to federalize the Guard against Newsom’s wishes. However, the appellate panel — comprised of two Trump appointees and one appointed by former President Joe Biden — overturned that ruling.

“Affording appropriate deference to the president’s determination, we conclude that he likely acted within his authority in federalizing the National Guard,” the court wrote.

Trump praised the court’s decision in a post on Truth Social. 

“BIG WIN in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on the President’s core power to call in the National Guard!” the president wrote. “The Judges obviously realized that Gavin Newscum is incompetent and ill prepared, but this is much bigger than Gavin, because all over the United States, if our Cities, and our people, need protection, we are the ones to give it to them should State and Local Police be unable, for whatever reason, to get the job done. This is a Great Decision for our Country, and we will continue to protect and defend Law abiding Americans. Congratulations to the Ninth Circuit, America is proud of you tonight!”

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Newsom’s office said that both the governor and Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta remain committed to holding the president accountable for using the military for domestic law enforcement actions, which they continued to argue violated federal law.

So far, Trump has sent  4,100 National Guard members and 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles.