Hegseth Refuses to Surrender National Security to Rogue Judges

In a bold and unapologetic display of executive resolve, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made it clear before Congress on Thursday that he will not allow unelected judges or political theater to dictate how the United States defends its sovereignty and enforces immigration laws.

Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, Hegseth made headlines when he refused to commit to obeying every lower court ruling related to President Donald Trump’s deployment of troops to Los Angeles — a deployment that came in response to violent protests and threats against federal personnel.

While Hegseth firmly stated that he would follow any ruling by the Supreme Court, he did not offer blanket submission to all lower court decisions, sparking outrage from the political left and a media class eager to spin his remarks as controversial.

But in truth, what Hegseth said — and what he stood for — was simple: foreign policy and national security decisions should not be hijacked by activist judges in district courtrooms, many of whom are openly hostile to the Trump administration’s America First agenda.

At the center of the issue is the deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 U.S. Marines to Los Angeles by order of President Trump. The move came after escalating protests over immigration enforcement began threatening the safety of ICE officers and disrupting public order.

With cities already overwhelmed and law enforcement agencies facing growing pressure from radical mobs, the federal government acted decisively to restore order and protect those carrying out lawful deportation operations.

Predictably, California Governor Gavin Newsom — a consistent opponent of any Trump directive — filed a lawsuit demanding the removal of troops from his state. But this wasn’t about legal procedure or the Constitution.

It was about obstruction, optics, and politics. Newsom wanted to send a message, not to his constituents, but to his progressive base and liberal donors.

That message was clear: California would oppose Trump at any cost, even if it meant leaving ICE officers exposed and letting chaos reign in its largest city.

Secretary Hegseth, however, refused to play that game.

When pressed by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) about whether he would respect all judicial rulings against the deployment, Hegseth responded with clarity and conviction: “What I can say is we should not have local judges determining foreign policy or national security policy for the country.”

This wasn’t defiance. It was a necessary assertion of constitutional balance. In matters of national defense, the Executive Branch — not regional courts — is empowered to make decisions that keep Americans safe.

Still, the media jumped on the remark, willfully mischaracterizing Hegseth’s position. What they ignored was his immediate clarification: “We’re not here to defy a Supreme Court ruling.”

In other words, the Department of Defense under Trump is not challenging the rule of law — it’s standing up to the misuse of judicial power by lower courts seeking to impose political preferences as legal mandates.

Indeed, the very nature of this legal dispute reveals the Democrats’ strategy. They cannot win these battles on the merit of public safety. They cannot convince the American people that ICE officers should be left defenseless during deportation operations.

So instead, they run to friendly judges, file lawsuits based on manufactured constitutional crises, and hope the courts will do what the voters won’t — shut down the Trump administration’s bold and necessary efforts to restore law and order.

Newsom’s lawsuit — dismissed by many in the administration as a “crass political stunt” — landed in front of U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, who held an emergency hearing on Thursday afternoon.

While Breyer declined to immediately block Hegseth from deploying troops, the legal battle is far from over. If Breyer eventually sides with Newsom, the case will head to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, long considered the most liberal appellate court in the nation, and possibly to the Supreme Court after that.

But regardless of the outcome in the lower courts, Hegseth’s message stands tall: the Trump administration will not allow cities to collapse under the weight of illegal immigration and political cowardice.

The military exists to defend the nation. And if the cities won’t protect their own federal officers, then the president is well within his authority to ensure their safety.

During the hearing, Hegseth emphasized that the decision to deploy troops was not made in haste. It was calculated, necessary, and grounded in the administration’s responsibility to secure the homeland.

“That’s our job,” Hegseth said. “Not to be completely caught off guard, to understand the situation in front of us and then calibrate accordingly. And provide maximum decision space to the president of the U.S. to keep Americans safe.”

That is what leadership looks like.

Contrast this with the chaos and inaction that plagued the previous administration. When cities burned and ICE officers were attacked during the summer of lawlessness in 2020, the federal government hesitated.

It feared media backlash. It prioritized political narratives over public safety. But under Trump, and with Hegseth at the helm of the Pentagon, those days are over. Now, the safety of American personnel comes first — no matter what politicians in Sacramento or judges in San Francisco think about it.

In a separate budget hearing earlier in the week, Hegseth made clear that this is not an isolated policy. The administration is exploring the possibility of deploying troops elsewhere to support immigration enforcement if needed.

The priority is clear: keep the homeland secure, defend those doing the hard work of immigration control, and send a message that lawlessness will not be tolerated.

When asked for the legal justification behind such deployments, Hegseth cited the president’s Article II authority as commander-in-chief and the broad legal powers available under the Insurrection Act and related statutory frameworks that permit the federal government to use troops in support of domestic law enforcement under specific, well-defined circumstances.

Predictably, the response from the left was hysteria. Governor Newsom shared a video of Hegseth’s testimony with the ominous caption: “This is not normal.”

But in fact, it is Newsom’s behavior that breaks with tradition. Never before has a governor fought this hard to prevent federal troops from protecting federal officers in a time of rising unrest.

Never before has a state so openly declared its resistance to law enforcement actions that fall squarely within the federal government’s purview.

Pete Hegseth, a decorated Army veteran and former combat officer, understands the stakes better than anyone. He’s not interested in politics — he’s interested in mission success.

And right now, that mission is ensuring that America’s borders are protected, its laws enforced, and its cities shielded from spiraling unrest fueled by ideological extremism.

As he testified before Congress, Hegseth didn’t flinch. He didn’t bow to pressure from grandstanding Democrats or activist judges. He made it clear that while the administration respects the judicial system, it will not be held hostage by it.

National security cannot — and will not — be outsourced to district courtrooms or political opportunists.

In this moment, America needs firm, steady leadership. And that’s exactly what Pete Hegseth is delivering. Backed by President Donald Trump and supported by a growing majority of Americans who are tired of watching their cities descend into chaos, Hegseth is standing on principle, anchored by the Constitution, and motivated by duty.

The deployment of troops to Los Angeles is not a stunt. It is a signal — that the days of surrender and silence are over, and that America will no longer be paralyzed by indecision or political correctness.

It’s a signal that the rule of law will be enforced. That our men and women in uniform will not be left unprotected. And that under this administration, the defense of the homeland will never be compromised — not by lawsuits, not by politics, and not by fear.