There are days when the air itself feels thick with indignationโwhen maudlin speeches, despotic threats, and unwelcome agendas flood our screens, and every headline seems to whisper: beware.
Iโve fumed, yes. Iโve sounded the clarion for vigilance. But today I turn to the other side of that storyโ to the doers. The ones standing up for the rule of law, the sanctity of the Constitution, and the dignity of the people. They deserve to be seen.
โThe Constitution isnโt a toy for tyrants; it is a shield for the people.โ
A Judge Who Drew the Line
Judge Karin J. Immergut (appointed 2019) issued a temporary restraining order in early October blocking the federal deployment of Oregonโs National Guard to Portlandโfinding the justification โuntethered to the facts.โ See the AP report and the courtโs TRO order (PDF). When out-of-state deployments were floated to circumvent that ruling, she extended relief to block any stateโs Guard from being sent to Oregon while the merits are reviewedโconfirmed by the Oregon DOJโs follow-up media release.
Governors Who Refused to Bow
California moved months earlier to challenge federalization of its Guard: AG Bonta & Gov. Newsomโs press release and their filed complaint (PDF). Oregon detailed the evolving posture in successive statements and filings (Oct. 4 TRO statement; Oct. 5 update). Closer to home, Governor Wes Moore of Maryland has consistently emphasized that military service is bound to the Constitutionโnot to politicsโand that respect for rank and mission must never be severed from fidelity to law.
