Oregon v. Trump

Several media organizations, represented by nonprofit legal advocacy organizations Public Justice and Public Accountability, have filed a motion to intervene to protect the public’s right of access to records in Oregon v. Trump, a lawsuit stemming from the deployment of the National Guard in Oregon. The news outlets participating in this effort include Oregon Capital Chronicle, The Oregonian, and Oregon Public Broadcasting.

The group of media organizations will seek to obtain access to dozens of trial exhibits that are currently sealed by court order, and it will also ask the court to disclose the identities of two Federal Protective Services officers who were allowed to testify anonymously.

For the past year, the Trump administration has targeted sanctuary cities they perceive to be uncooperative with its immigration objectives. Portland, Ore. is one of those cities, and in late September 2025, President Trump directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth via social media to call into federal service 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to protect ICE and other government personnel. The State of Oregon and the city of Portland sued the federal government, arguing that the federalization and deployment of the Oregon National Guard violated federal law and the US Constitution.

“Oregonians deserve to know what prompted and drove the federal government’s attempt to place troops in their streets,” said Public Accountability’s executive director, Athul K. Acharya. “The courts belong to the public, and the records of this case should too. Accountability begins with access.”

Senior attorney for Public Justice’s Access to Justice Project Shelby Leighton said, “The law is clear. There are very few circumstances under which access to court records can be restricted, and Defendants have not demonstrated that secrecy is warranted here. Such secrecy regarding the federal government’s deployment of militarized forces should concern everyone. Democracy is threatened when a government operates in darkness and prevents the press from informing the public.”