In a striking win for law and order, President Donald Trump has once again flexed his constitutional muscle with a federal appeals court backing his right to send the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, as Breitbart reports.
This pivotal ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, handed down on Monday, October 20, 2025, overturned a lower court’s block and reaffirmed Trump’s authority to federalize the National Guard in the face of unrest.
The saga began earlier in October 2025, when U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee no less, issued a temporary restraining order to halt the deployment to Portland.
That roadblock didn’t last long, as a divided Ninth Circuit panel stepped in to reverse the decision, clearing the path for National Guard troops to restore stability in a city often plagued by chaos.
The court’s majority opinion didn’t mince words, stating, “After considering the record at this preliminary stage, we conclude that it is likely that the President lawfully exercised his statutory authority,” under federal law to execute the nation’s laws when regular forces fall short (Ninth Circuit majority opinion).
Translation: when local leaders can’t or won’t uphold the law, the president has every right to step in—hardly a radical notion, though some on the progressive left might clutch their pearls over it.
Judge Immergut, in her initial ruling, declared, “This is a nation of constitutional law, not martial law,” a sentiment that sounds noble until you realize it’s being used to handcuff a president trying to protect citizens (U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut).
With all due respect to the judge, constitutional law includes the commander-in-chief’s authority to act decisively—something the Ninth Circuit rightly recognized in overturning her order.
This isn’t the first time the Ninth Circuit has had Trump’s back, either; it’s the second instance where they’ve overruled lower courts to affirm his powers, with a prior case in California setting the precedent.
Meanwhile, not every court is on the same page—on October 16, 2025, a federal appeals court in Illinois upheld a district court ruling that temporarily blocked a similar National Guard deployment in that state.
The Trump administration, undeterred, has already appealed to the Supreme Court for intervention in the Illinois case, signaling they’re not about to let judicial overreach stand in the way of public safety.
Back in Portland, the Ninth Circuit’s latest decision sends a clear message: the United States operates under constitutional law, not the whims of judges who might prioritize political posturing over order and security.
Critics of the deployment will undoubtedly cry foul, claiming federal overreach, but let’s be honest—when cities descend into lawlessness, someone has to step up, and local leaders haven’t always proven up to the task.
Still, it’s worth acknowledging the genuine concerns of Portland residents who fear militarization; their voices deserve to be heard, even if the solution lies in federal action rather than endless debate.
This ruling isn’t just a win for Trump—it’s a reminder that the Constitution isn’t a suggestion, and the president’s duty to protect the nation isn’t negotiable, no matter how much the progressive agenda might wish otherwise.
