Trump team urges Oregon judge to end restraining order blocking National Guard
In a recent hearing in Oregon, the Trump administration urged federal judge Karin Immergut to lift a restraining order that currently prevents the deployment of National Guard troops to Portland. This request comes amid ongoing tensions between the federal government and local Democratic leaders regarding law enforcement powers, especially in response to protests and unrest in the city. During the hearing, the administration argued that a higher court had already permitted President Trump’s authority to use the National Guard in Portland, a city the president has labeled as chaotic and rife with crime. Immergut, appointed by Trump himself, indicated that she would make a decision by Monday, balancing the 9th Circuit’s ruling with new arguments presented during the hearing.
The situation in Portland has been contentious, with Trump asserting that the deployment of National Guard troops is necessary to combat what he describes as rampant illegal activity and threats to federal law enforcement. Local officials, however, have pushed back against this characterization, arguing that the president’s response is excessive and unwarranted. During the hearing, an attorney representing Oregon described the proposed deployment of 200 National Guard soldiers as “grossly disproportionate” to the circumstances on the ground. The legal battle began when Immergut issued two restraining orders blocking the deployment of National Guard troops, which the government has since appealed. While a 9th Circuit panel sided with Trump in a recent ruling, the legal landscape remains uncertain, with further court battles expected, including a pending case regarding similar issues in Illinois that may reach the Supreme Court.
As the legal wrangling continues, the implications of these decisions extend beyond Oregon, reflecting broader national debates over federal authority and local governance. The outcome of Immergut’s upcoming decision and the anticipated trial next week could set important precedents for how federal forces are deployed in response to civil unrest in cities across the country. With tensions still high in Portland and similar situations unfolding elsewhere, the stakes are significant, not just for the residents of these cities but for the future of law enforcement and civil liberties in the United States.
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The Trump administration urged a federal judge during a hearing in Oregon on Friday to terminate a restraining order and clear the way for the government to deploy
National Guard
troops in Portland.
The administration argued to Judge Karin Immergut that a higher court had already greenlit President Donald Trump’s use of the National Guard there. Immergut, a Trump appointee, said she would decide by Monday whether to toss out her order.
“[I’ll be] working as fast as I can to get a decision that honors the 9th Circuit decision but also takes into account some of the new arguments and new information that’s been provided,” Immergut said.
TRUMP WINS BIG IN NATIONAL GUARD CASE, BUT COURT FIGHTS ARE FAR FROM OVER
The Trump administration has remained blocked from deploying the reserved troops to support the president’s law enforcement crackdown in Portland, a liberal haven that Trump claims is rife with illegal immigrants, street crime and threats to federal law enforcement.
“I looked at Portland over the weekend, the place is burning down, just burning down,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office this week.
Immergut’s hearing was only the latest in a
string of clashes
between local Democratic leaders and the president over their division of law enforcement powers. The president has claimed he is authorized to deploy National Guard troops in cities to support federal immigration enforcement officers, while several blue states and cities claim Trump is wildly mischaracterizing the level of crime and unrest and that military reinforcements are unwarranted and encroach on their sovereignty.
WHITE HOUSE REBUKES ‘EGREGIOUS’ COURT ORDER BLOCKING TROOP DEPLOYMENTS AMID PORTLAND UNREST
A lawyer arguing on behalf of Oregon told Immergut on Friday that Trump’s attempt to deploy 200 National Guard soldiers from other states into Portland had “no justification whatsoever.”
The lawyer called it a “grossly disproportionate response to the situation.”
The court saga in Oregon began when Immergut issued two back-to-back restraining orders blocking Trump from deploying California National Guard soldiers to Portland and blocking Trump from deploying any National Guard soldiers to Portland, respectively.
The government appealed the first order, and a 9th Circuit panel decided this week in a 2-1 decision to side with Trump in that matter. But a full bench of judges might now reconsider that decision, and Immergut’s second order also remains intact, meaning Trump currently cannot deploy the National Guard to Oregon.
A Department of Justice lawyer said the 9th Circuit panel’s decision halting Immergut’s first order means both of her orders should “rise and fall together.”
“I just don’t know that there’s any way around that,” the lawyer said.
The 9th Circuit panel had found that Trump was likely to succeed in his case as it proceeds through the courts and also accused Immergut of discounting months of violence and disruptions in Portland over the summer.
Regardless of what Immergut does with her remaining active restraining order, the court fights are far from over as the existing orders from the courts have all been on an emergency basis.
A similar question about Trump’s use of the National Guard in Illinois is pending before the
Supreme Court.
In Oregon, Immergut is also holding a short trial next week to make a more long-term finding about Trump’s use of the National Guard in that state.
Fox News’ Lee Ross contributed.
Eric
Eric is a seasoned journalist covering US Politics news.
