Over the years, Trump has threatened to intercede in the state’s long-running homeless crisis, vowed to withhold federal wildfire aid as political leverage in a dispute over water rights, called on police to shoot people robbing stores and warned residents “your children are in danger” because of illegal immigration.

What the judge rules, and the likely appeals that follow, may alter decades of understanding about the roles of governors and the White House in quelling domestic unrest.

While protests Wednesday were relatively peaceful, some turned into scenes of chaos as police fired with less lethal munitions to the disperse crowds.

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was unable to get off his a question for Secretary Kristi Noem when officials shoved him out of the room as he screamed “hands off!”. In this Nov. 2, 2018, file photo, then-California Secretary of State Padilla speaks in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File) AP

A federal judge ruled Trump’s deployment of the California National Guard during the ICE riots was illegal and ordered control returned to Governor Gavin Newsom.