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Yesterday, a coalition of 11 attorneys general, including Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, filed a lawsuit opposing President Donald Trump’s unconstitutional attempt to deploy California’s National Guard.
Oregon Joins Pushback Against Military Deployment In California
Trump’s attempt to federalize California’s National Guard is the subject of Oregon’s amicus brief, filed in support of California’s request for a court order. The AG argues that Trump’s sweeping action defies the Constitution and is a dangerous overreach of presidential power.
AG Rayfield said, “Our Guard members aren’t tools for political theater – they’re trusted partners in day-to-day public safety.”
The federal government would be allowed to deploy state National Guard troops without legitimate justification, setting a precedent that could threaten the balance between civilian authority and military force across the US. Rayfield called the deployment “a threat to the systems we rely on.”
By not limiting the deployment to a specific location or purpose, Trump’s order asserts broad authority to activate any state’s Guard for 60 days without the cooperation of state leaders. The order directly interferes with the essential roles the National Guard plays at the state level, and the expansive interpretation of presidential power is legally unjustified.
The AG indicated that Trump flouts the vision of our Founders by calling forth troops when there is no invasion to repel, no rebellion to suppress, and when state and local law enforcement is fully able to execute the laws. It sets a chilling precedent that puts the constitutional rights of Americans in every state at risk.
Highlighting that this kind of unchecked federal military deployment could also suppress First Amendment activity, the brief also seeks to raise the alarms for civil liberties nationwide.
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