On September 9, 2025, the Knight Institute joined the ACLU, the ACLU of Northern California, the ACLU of Southern California, and the Rutherford Institute in filing an amicus brief in Newsom v. Trump, a Ninth Circuit case challenging President Trump’s domestic deployment of the military in response to protests taking place in Los Angeles. The district court ruled that the deployment of the military was likely unlawful and issued a temporary restraining order. The Ninth Circuit stayed that order while it considers the government’s appeal.

The amicus brief argues that U.S. history, tradition, and law strictly limit the use of the military to police the American people; that military deployment chills the exercise of speech and association protected by the First Amendment; and that the government violated the First Amendment by deploying the military to subdue a protest that was overwhelmingly lawful.

Status: Briefing on appeal ongoing.

Case Information: Newsom v. Trump, No. 25-3727 (9th Cir.).