JUST IN: Obama Judge RECUSES Himself From Oregon National Guard Deployment Case

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In a rare move, an Obama-appointed federal judge just recused himself from Oregon’s lawsuit against the Trump administration over the deployment of the National Guard.

U.S. District Judge Michael Simon’s wife is Democrat Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, who has been very vocal about her views on deploying troops to Portland (she’s not a fan!)

In light of this, the DOJ requested that Judge Simon recuse himself from the case. And, on Thursday, he did just that.

Now, a Trump appointee — Judge Karin Immergut — has been appointed as his replacement!

Here are the details:

Judge Simon’s recusal comes just one day before a hearing on the case.

The Hill reported:

The federal judge assigned to the case challenging President Trump’s National Guard deployment in Portland, Ore., recused himself on Thursday, hours after the Justice Department raised concerns about his marriage to a Democratic lawmaker who opposes the deployment.

U.S. District Judge Michael Simon’s recusal came a day before he was slated to convene a hearing on Oregon’s request to temporarily block the deployment.

“Although the Court does not believe that recusal is required under either federal law or the Code of Conduct for United States Judges, because it is necessary that the focus of this lawsuit remain on the critically important constitutional and statutory issues presented by the parties, the undersigned U.S. District Judge hereby recuses himself,” Simon wrote.

Simon is married to Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), who represents a district that stretches from Portland’s western suburbs to the coastline.

Bonamici spoke at a press conference alongside the state’s governor opposing the deployment and has repeatedly criticized the move on social media.

“It’s absurd that Trump is spending an expected $3.8 million to deploy the National Guard to Portland, especially during a government shutdown and when families are struggling to pay for health care, housing, and groceries,” Bonamici wrote on Bluesky.

Oregon Live went more in-depth about Bonamici’s comments regarding the National Guard deployment into Portland:

The case has been reassigned to U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut, who is still scheduled to hear the motion on the restraining order at 10 a.m. in Courtroom 15B of the U.S. Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse in Portland.

Immergut, who was nominated by Trump, has served on the federal bench since 2019.

Justice Department lawyers highlighted in their recusal request that Bonamici, a Democrat, stood last Saturday with Gov. Tina Kotek and Mayor Keith Wilson at a news conference in Portland to blast Trump for saying the city needed military help to quell protests at the ICE building in “War ravaged” Portland.

“We do not want or need federal troops in Portland,” said Bonamici, who represents much of the west metro area. “The Trump administration is using lies and delusions to try to justify turning the military against US citizens. It’s illegal, dangerous, and outrageous.”

The government’s recusal request, titled “Defendants’ Suggestion of Recusal,” pointed out that Bonamici has suggested the Trump administration’s federalization of Oregon National Guard troops could result in “violations of law.”

The Justice Department lawyers also noted that Bonamici has blasted Trump’s actions on social media and had “interfaced” in her official role with each defendant in the suit. Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem are named as defendants.

The day after the news conference in Portland with Bonamici, Trump and Hegseth informed the state that the federal government was ordering 200 Oregon National Guard members into federal service in the city for 60 days. The state hours laterjoined with the city to file a lawsuit challenging the deployment and then filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to block the troops’ arrival.

Let’s hope that Judge Immergut ruled in the Trump administration’s favor speedily.

Portland needs to be cleaned up — stat!



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