Oregon governor shuts the door on Trump’s troops as the state slaps him with yet another lawsuit

Oregon and the city of Portland sued the Trump administration on Sunday over its plan to send National Guard troops to the city.

The lawsuit came after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed an order putting 200 Oregon National Guard members under federal control for 60 days. State and city leaders called the move clearly illegal in their court filing.

The troop order came after President Donald Trump posted on social media Saturday telling Hegseth to send all needed troops to protect what he called war torn Portland and ICE buildings under attack from Antifa and other domestic terrorists. Trump said he was allowing full force if needed. State and city leaders called Trump’s claims nothing more than baseless, wildly exaggerated excuses.

According to MSNBC, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek made the state’s view clear before the lawsuit was filed. The governor said that the state “does not want military troops and that public safety will be handled by local law enforcement.” She told reporters that Oregon can handle its own public safety needs and that there is no uprising or threat to national security.

Legal fight focuses on federal power grab

The lawsuit says the federal government broke the Posse Comitatus Act, which stops the military from being used for regular police work inside the country. State and city leaders said the troop order stepped on Oregon’s right to manage its own police work and National Guard forces. The case went to U.S. District Judge Michael Simon, who was appointed by Obama.

This is not the first time the Trump administration has been taken to court over sending troops to Democratic cities. Earlier this month, a federal judge said the administration broke the law when it used the military in Los Angeles. State and city leaders pointed to that case in their complaint, saying they filed the lawsuit to protect the basic setup of American government from a shocking intrusion that was, until what happened in Los Angeles just months ago, never seen before.

On Monday, state and city leaders asked for emergency court action. They want the federal judge to stop Hegseth and the Defense Department from putting Oregon National Guard members under federal control, sending them anywhere in Oregon, or doing anything similar in the state. The request pushed for fast court help to protect their independence, keep control over local police and public safety, and stop unnecessary problems in Oregon’s biggest city. The Trump administration will get a chance to respond in court.