A federal judge has blocked the Trump Administration’s attempt to deploy 300 California National Guard soldiers to Portland, Oregon. The ruling comes after a previous court decision prevented the federal government from deploying Oregon National Guard members, and this latest order stops any national guard troops from being sent to Oregon from other states.
The court granted California’s request for a temporary restraining order, halting any further federalization or deployment of guardsmembers to Oregon.
Governor Gavin Newsom commented on the outcome: “The rule of law has prevailed – and California’s National Guard will soon be heading home. This ruling is more than a legal victory, it’s a victory for American democracy itself. Donald Trump tried to turn our soldiers into instruments of his political will. While our fight continues, tonight the rule of law said ‘hell no’.”
Attorney General Rob Bonta also criticized the administration’s actions: “The Trump Administration’s flagrant disregard for the courts was on full display when it sought to circumvent Judge Immergut’s order blocking the federalization of the Oregon National Guard by redeploying troops from Los Angeles to Portland,” Bonta said. “This disrespect for the rule of law cannot stand—and I’m glad the court agreed. The President’s move to deploy the National Guard of one state over the objections of a Governor to another state over the objections of a second is well outside of the norms or practices of any President in recent history. But this President is determined to take as much power as the courts will give him. This fight isn’t over, but today’s rebuke of the President’s illegal actions is a step in the right direction.”
Earlier in the day, Governor Newsom announced plans for California to join Oregon in suing the Trump Administration after attempts were made to send 300 federally controlled California National Guard personnel into Portland following an earlier district court block on federalizing Oregon’s National Guard.
Despite there being no ongoing unrest in Los Angeles that would require such deployment, and after conditions had stabilized, federal authorities attempted to send California troops who had been previously federalized into Portland.
In her written opinion, Judge Immergut stated: “This historical tradition boils down to a simple proposition: this is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law. Defendants have made a range of arguments that, if accepted, risk blurring the line between civil and military federal power — to the detriment of this nation.” The judge also found that statements made by President Trump regarding these deployments were not “conceived in good faith” and were “simply untethered to the facts.”
