Federal judge ruled that Trump violated the Constitution when he went around the CA governor and LA mayor to deploy National Guard. The judge stated it was an effort to ‘consolidate power at the federal level.’

The claim involves two main components: first, that a federal judge ruled Trump violated the Constitution by bypassing California's governor and Los Angeles' mayor to deploy the National Guard; second, that the judge described this action as an effort to 'consolidate power at the federal level.'

Regarding the first component, multiple sources confirm that U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that Trump's deployment of the California National Guard was illegal because it violated the Tenth Amendment, which delineates power between federal and state governments. The judge found that Trump exceeded his statutory authority by mobilizing the Guard without the governor's consent during protests in Los Angeles. This ruling ordered control of the National Guard to be returned to Governor Gavin Newsom.apnews.comapnews.comAppeals court temporarily blocks judge's ruling to return control of National...thehill.comthehill.comJudge blocks Donald Trump’s National Guard deployment in Los Angeles

On the second component, while Judge Breyer strongly criticized Trump's actions as unlawful and an overreach of federal authority, none of the reviewed sources provide a direct quote from him stating that this was an effort to 'consolidate power at the federal level.' However, his ruling emphasized that Trump's actions violated constitutional principles regarding state versus federal control and implied an improper centralization of power. The judge's pointed courtroom behavior, including waving a copy of the Constitution and rejecting Trump's justification for deployment, supports this interpretation.democracydocket.comdemocracydocket.comFederal Judge Blocks Trump’s Seizure of California National Guard

The claim about bypassing both the California governor and Los Angeles mayor is partially accurate. The legal dispute focused on Trump's failure to obtain Governor Newsom's consent; there is no specific mention in sources about bypassing the Los Angeles mayor in a legal context. The National Guard is typically under state control via the governor, not municipal officials.

In summary, the core factual assertion that a federal judge ruled Trump's National Guard deployment unconstitutional and illegal is well supported. The characterization of this as an effort to 'consolidate power at the federal level' aligns with judicial reasoning but is not a direct quote from the judge. The mention of bypassing the LA mayor is not substantiated by available evidence.

Therefore, the claim is mostly true but slightly misleading due to attribution of a specific phrase to the judge and inclusion of the mayor in the bypass claim.