According to a Fox News report, President Donald Trump scored a major legal victory Monday as the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled he can deploy Oregon National Guard troops into Portland, overturning a lower court’s order and affirming the president’s authority to restore law and order in a city long plagued by violent unrest.
The 2–1 decision came from a three-judge panel that included Judges Ryan Nelson and Bridget Bade, both Trump appointees, who sided with the administration.
The lone dissenter, Judge Susan Graber, was appointed by Bill Clinton.
“After considering the record at this preliminary stage, we conclude that it is likely that the President lawfully exercised his statutory authority under 10 U.S.C. §12406(3), which authorizes the federalization of the National Guard when ‘the President is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States,’” the majority wrote.
The ruling gives the Trump administration the green light to send troops into Portland after months of clashes between protesters and law enforcement — and comes after a federal judge in Oregon tried to block the move earlier this month.
That same judge accused Trump of acting “untethered to reality” and claimed his decision blurred “the line between civil and military federal power.” The 9th Circuit swiftly stayed her order pending review, signaling its skepticism of her reasoning.
For the White House, the decision vindicates Trump’s longstanding argument that Democratic leaders have failed to control chaos in their own cities.
Administration officials say the Guard deployment is essential to curb violent crime and protect federal property, citing anti-ICE demonstrations and rioting that have disrupted downtown Portland for months.
Democrats and civil liberties groups, meanwhile, have accused the administration of exaggerating the threat and using it as a pretext to “federalize” blue cities — a claim the 9th Circuit’s ruling decisively undercuts.
This story is developing…
JUST IN: A 9th circuit panel rules 2-1 that Trump had authority to send the National Guard to Portland.
The judges:
Nelson (Trump)
Bade (Trump)v.
Graber (Clinton)https://t.co/PlQT9e8vGc pic.twitter.com/8CCRe3ReR3
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