Courts Pause or Limit Guard Deployments

A Ninth Circuit administrative stay has paused a prior order that would have allowed President Trump to deploy National Guard troops to Portland until 5 p.m. on Oct. 28 while the court decides whether to rehear the case en banc. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut held a hearing and said she would likely rule soon on whether to lift a remaining temporary restraining order after the administration urged her to clear the way for a limited 200‑soldier deployment. Litigation over Portland continues, with one restraining order still in place and a trial on the deployments’ legality scheduled. Separately, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has asked a federal judge to block an ongoing roughly 2,500‑troop presence in the capital, citing plans for a “long‑term persistent presence,” concerns about command‑and‑control, and that troops were being used as law enforcement. The ACLU sued to stop West Virginia’s Guard deployment to D.C., and a judge has ordered briefing on whether the governor exceeded state law, with filings due Oct. 28. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is slated to brief reporters in Minneapolis about ICE operations as the Justice Department pursues litigation against Minnesota and Twin Cities jurisdictions over sanctuary policies.