Judge temporarily blocks Trump activation of Guard in Portland

U.S. District Judge Judge Karin Immergut sided for now with Democrats in Oregon and Portland who called federalizing the guard a presidential overreach.

Published: October 4, 2025 9:14pm

A federal judge appointed by President Donald Trump issued a temporary restraining order Saturday night blocking the administration from federalizing guardsmen to deploy to Portland, Oregon.

U.S. District Judge Judge Karin Immergut sided for now with Democrats in Oregon and Portland who called federalizing the guard a presidential overreach.

Immergut said the balance between the federal government and state and between the military and domestic law enforcement needed further review.

"Whether we choose to follow what the Constitution mandates with respect to these three relationships goes to the heart of what it means to live under the rule of law in the United States," she wrote.

She wrote that the president is allowed "a great level of deference" to federalize National Guard troops but had not met the legal standard for deployment in Portland.

The administration is expected to appeal. 

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