On Wednesday, Judge Karin Immergut took the unprecedented step of extending her block on President Trump’s troop deployment to Portland, Oregon, effectively echoing sentiments of separation of powers while her judicial dagger remained poised at the administration’s military ambitions.
Earlier this month, the Trump-appointed Judge Immergut had already placed a restraining order against the National Guard’s deployment, labeling the administration’s actions as dangerously overreaching.
The Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), originally set to lapse on October 18, has now been prolonged, ensuring that the troops of the National Guard are kept at bay in their unprecedented policing role in the city of Portland.
According to Reuters:
A federal judge in Oregon on Wednesday extended temporary restraining orders that prevent President Donald Trump’s administration from deploying any National Guard units to the streets of Portland as part of a broader initiative to interject military presence in predominantly Democratic-led cities.
The action by U.S. District Judge Immergut comes while the administration awaits a ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the legality of Trump’s proposed actions.
The judge candidly alerted that such deployments could plunge the nation into “something akin to a constitutional crisis,” raising critical questions about the balance between civil liberties and state power.
In an act of tactical defiance, President Trump had previously mobilized hundreds of California National Guard troops to navigate around Immergut’s restrictions, illustrating a whimsical cat-and-mouse game with the judiciary.
He further authorized approximately 400 troops from Texas for the daunting task of restoring order against protests against ICE operations in Oregon and Illinois, prompting a furor over the militarization of civilian spaces.
Following Trump’s circumvention of her original ruling, Judge Immergut convened an emergency session late Sunday to address the escalation of this military chess match. She subsequently issued a second, more encompassing TRO that aimed to apply a broader prohibition against any state National Guard units operating in Oregon.
15/ Plaintiff: It is justifiable to issue a second order with wider scope to address reasoning, “exploited,” we want to prevent federalized national guard troops from any state or the District of Columbia from intervening. Judge: That is what I will do…
— Margot Cleveland (@ProfMJCleveland) October 6, 2025
Despite a recent unanimous ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to lift some aspects of Judge Immergut’s TRO pertaining to troop mobilization, they deftly preserved her block against deploying forces, leaving the administration feeling partially thwarted in their political maneuvers.
The trio of judges from the appellate court, including Graber (appointed by Clinton), Nelson (appointed by Trump), and Bade (also a Trump appointee), seem to play the roles of reluctant referees in a game of political football, as Trump continues his attempts to restore order in cities Democratic governors dominate.
