A federal judge has temporarily halted President Donald Trump’s plan to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, after California Governor Gavin Newsom filed a lawsuit accusing the administration of overstepping its constitutional authority.
This ruling came shortly after the president announced plans to use National Guard troops from California and Texas to assist Portland law enforcement amid ongoing unrest.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Portland police dealt with significant violence outside of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland, with officers choosing to arrest independent journalist Nick Sortor rather than the protestors who allegedly assaulted him.
The Trump administration recently described the incidents taking place in Portland as “Antifa-led hellfire,” ordering the National Guard to be sent into the city to help manage ongoing crime, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Trump recently ordered Texas National Guard troops deployed to Oregon, Illinois, and other locations across the country, according to CNN.
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, stated during a proceeding that Trump’s directive to use National Guard troops from other states “appears to violate both 10 U.S.C. §12406 and the Tenth Amendment,” according to Fox News.
The ruling temporarily prevents the administration from ordering out-of-state Guard units into Oregon until the court reviews constitutional arguments.
Newsom released a statement about the ruling, claiming that the “rule of law has prevailed” and California troops 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,’” continued Newsom.
Meanwhile, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement that the Trump administration broke no laws by attempting to protect federal law enforcement officers.
“President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement,” she stated, per NBC News.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the Trump administration has consistently begun using the National Guard as a way to reduce violent crime in major cities, with the president already utilizing the troops in Washington D.C.
Trump has also hinted at plans to send the National Guard to other major cities, such as Chicago and Memphis, as a way to reduce crime.
Most recently, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry asked the president to apply the same approach in New Orleans and other cities, stating that there has been a “convergence of elevated violent crime rates” that only National Guard troops can manage.