You’ve got to love how upside-down things have gotten in America. A federal judge just ruled that President Donald Trump illegally ordered National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon—yes, illegally, for trying to stop chaos, protect federal buildings, and keep law enforcement officers from being attacked by violent agitators.
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut—ironically, a Trump appointee—decided that sending in the Guard to restore order during months of violent protests somehow violates the law. That’s right, defending your own federal property is now a constitutional crisis, according to the left and their favorite activist courts.
The ruling marks the first time a judge has permanently blocked Trump’s use of military forces to stop violent uprisings in cities like Portland, where so-called “peaceful protests” involved Molotov cocktails, smashed windows, and assaults on officers. The same administration that faced criticism for not doing enough to control chaos in cities is now being told it went “too far.” Make it make sense.
The City of Portland and the Oregon Attorney General’s Office—both run by Democrats, of course—filed the lawsuit, claiming Trump exaggerated “occasional violence.” Because nothing says “occasional” like officers getting hit with rocks, spat on, and having knives thrown at them.
Justice Department attorney Eric Hamilton put it plainly: “For months, agitators have used violence and threatened violence against the men and women who serve our country.” But in the world of progressive politics, that’s apparently just another “mostly peaceful protest.”
Portland’s attorney, Caroline Turco, dramatically declared, “This case is about whether we are a nation of constitutional law or martial law.” Right—because enforcing the law and stopping mobs from torching buildings is totally the same as martial law.
Let’s review some facts. Court records show that at least 32 people were charged with federal crimes during the Portland protests—charges ranging from assaulting federal officers to throwing knives at them. Yet somehow, Judge Immergut concluded that this wasn’t enough to justify federal intervention. Maybe the threshold for “rebellion” has to include more broken bones and fires?
Democrats are celebrating the ruling as a victory for “civil liberties,” but what it really does is handcuff any administration that tries to maintain order in cities run by leaders who have clearly lost control.
Trump’s team is expected to appeal, and rightly so. The case could go all the way to the Supreme Court—and it should. Because if the President of the United States can’t deploy troops to protect federal facilities from being overrun, then what’s next? Are we going to start apologizing for enforcing the law, too?
The bottom line is simple: Trump tried to defend America’s cities when Democrats wouldn’t, and now the activist courts are punishing him for it.
