A California judge is in hot water after his decision to attempt to block President Trump’s order to send the National Guard into Los Angeles was met with an impeachment resolution from a Republican lawmaker, who argued that the judge’s decision was “political” and said that the goal of the resolution was to “get judges to do their jobs.”
For background, on June 27, 2025, Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives calling to impeach Judge Charles Breyer of the Northern District of California for what he described as “high crimes and misdemeanors.” The resolution followed Judge Breyer’s decision to interfere with President Trump’s use of the National Guard to quell the violent anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) riots in Los Angeles that broke out on June 6.
According to press accounts, Judge Breyer made the case that the President had not followed “the congressionally mandated procedure for his actions” when he authorized the Department of Defense to send in National Guard units to Los Angeles. Judge Breyer reportedly added, “His actions were illegal—both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.”
In addition, Judge Breyer said that the Court needed to intervene “at this early stage of the proceedings,” adding that the president “must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith.” In addition, Breyer argued that the protests in Los Angeles “fall far short of ‘rebellion.'” However, press accounts confirmed that Judge Breyer’s decision was quickly blocked.
In response to Judge Breyer’s statements, Rep. Randy Fine introduced his resolution in the House, saying that the judge “knowingly and willfully” used his judicial position “to advance political gain while interfering with the President’s constitutional prerogatives and enforcement of the rule of law.”
Furthermore, the congressman said that the United States Constitution gives Congress the authority to use “the sole Power of Impeachment” to indict “civil Officers of the United States,” saying that all civil officers, “including Federal judges, are subject to impeachment and removal.”
Moreover, Rep. Fine said that through his behavior, the judge had “violated his oath to the Constitution and duty of impartiality to the people of the United States,” adding that Breyer “abused the powers of his judicial authority, having engaged in actions that prioritize political gain over the duty of impartiality owed to the public and litigants.” The congressman then argued that based on his actions, the judge “is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors and should be removed from office.”
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In a statement to the press, Rep. Fine said that he believed that the judge’s decision was politically motivated, adding, “The goal is to get judges to do their jobs. If we’re not going to try to hold accountable the ones that aren’t, then they have no incentive to stop.” Furthermore, the congressman said that while his resolution might not get Judge Breyer removed from office, it was “worth doing.”
Featured image credit: Rep. Randy Fine via X