Federal Appeals Court Allows Trump Oregon National Guard Deployment Amid Protests

A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of President Donald Trump, allowing him to take command of 200 Oregon National Guard troops and potentially deploy them to Portland amid protests related to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. This decision overturned an earlier temporary restraining order by a district judge but did not lift a second restraining order blocking immediate troop deployment, so troops have yet to be mobilized. The ruling, supported by two Trump-appointed judges, affirmed the president's authority to federalize the troops under federal law, while a dissenting judge criticized it for undermining states' control over their militias and First Amendment rights. Oregon officials and the state's attorney general condemned the ruling as setting a dangerous precedent that may allow the president to deploy troops in cities with minimal oversight. The legal battle continues as the administration also seeks to deploy troops to other cities like Chicago, and the case is expected to proceed to the Supreme Court. The situation highlights ongoing tensions between federal authority and local governance in response to protests and civil unrest.