California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Sunday that his administration will sue President Trump over the deployment of California National Guard troops to Oregon.

The governor and potential 2028 presidential contender called the move a political stunt about “ego” disguised as law enforcement.

“We’re suing Donald Trump,” Mr. Newsom declared on social media. “His deployment of the California National Guard to Oregon isn’t about crime. It’s about power.”

“He’s using our military as political pawns to build up his own ego,” he added. “It’s appalling. It’s un-American. And it must stop.”

Mr. Newsom’s legal threat follows a federal judge’s decision to block the Trump administration from sending 200 Oregon National Guard troops to Portland to help protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities.

The judge sided with local officials who argued the deployment was unnecessary and potentially unconstitutional.

Judge Karin Immergut of the U.S. District Court in Oregon, a Trump appointee, issued a 31-page opinion sharply rebuking the administration’s rationale.

“This country has a longstanding and foundational tradition of resistance to government overreach, especially in the form of military intrusion into civil affairs,” she wrote. “This is a nation of constitutional law, not martial law.”

Judge Immergut warned that the administration’s arguments risk “blurring the line between civil and military federal power — to the detriment of this nation.”

She also criticized Trump’s description of Portland as “war-ravaged,” calling it “simply untethered to the facts.”

The Justice Department has filed a notice of appeal with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, challenging the judge’s ruling.

• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.