In a major victory for law and order, President Trump scored a decisive legal win this week as a federal appeals court cleared the way for his administration to deploy National Guard troops to the chaos-plagued, far-left city of Portland.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, often known for its liberal leanings, handed Trump a rare but powerful win in a 2–1 decision Monday, striking down a lower court order that had blocked the National Guard deployment. The ruling allows the administration to move forward with restoring peace and security to a city long consumed by rioting, vandalism, and anti-police extremism.
The panel’s majority opinion was delivered by Judges Ryan Nelson and Bridget Bade, both appointed by President Trump, who found that the president acted well within his constitutional and statutory authority when ordering the Guard to be federalized under 10 U.S.C. § 12406(3).
“After considering the record at this preliminary stage, we conclude that it is likely that the President lawfully exercised his statutory authority… 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 decision marks a huge setback for left-wing activists and Democrat officials in Oregon, who have fought for years to keep federal forces out of their collapsing city. Portland has become ground zero for progressive anarchy — with Antifa, anti-police radicals, and “No Kings” protesters regularly clashing with law enforcement, setting fires, and defacing government buildings.
During oral arguments, Judge Nelson acknowledged that critics may question how the Guard is used but pointed out the lack of evidence of any unlawful action. “It may well be that the forces are used in an improper way,” Nelson said, “but we don’t have evidence of that.”
The lone dissenter, predictably, was a Clinton-appointed judge.
Earlier this month, an Oregon district judge had blocked Trump’s order, calling it “untethered to reality” and claiming it risked “blurring the line between civil and military power.” The White House fired back with a blistering response, saying it was the judge — not the president — who was “untethered from reality.”
Oregon’s Assistant Attorney General Stacy Chaffin also tried to argue that Portland’s violence didn’t qualify as a “rebellion,” insisting that the destruction of public property, attacks on police, and anti-American riots didn’t justify National Guard intervention. Her claim fell flat in the appeals court.
Trump, meanwhile, has made clear that his mission is simple — to restore law, order, and safety in America’s Democrat-run cities. “We will not allow far-left radicals to terrorize our communities or destroy our country,” the president said in a recent statement.
The decision follows a similar move by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which partially lifted a lower court block on National Guard deployment to Chicago, another Democrat-run city that has suffered record levels of violence.
As the situation in Portland continues to spiral, the administration’s patience appears to have run out. With the green light from the courts, federal troops could soon be on the ground, finally bringing peace to a city that local Democrat leaders have refused to protect.
Once again, the message is clear: President Trump stands with law enforcement, with the rule of law, and with the American people — not the mob.
