A federal judge denied a lawsuit from the Oregon Attorney General that would have issued a temporary restraining order against federal agents in Portland, preventing them from detaining individuals unless the agents identify themselves, the agency they work for and the offense for which the individual is detained, according to reporting from NPR.
US District Judge Michael Mosman, a George W. Bush appointee, denied the motion, saying that the State of Oregon did standing to file the suit because it was not the party being harmed by the actions; the detained protesters would be a proper complantant.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said she filed the lawsuit following two well documented cases: one where an individual was struck in the face with a rubber bullet, requiring hospitalization and facial reconstruction surgery; and another where a protester walking down the street was accosted and spirited away by supposed federal agents in an unmarked van.
As NPR reported, while the case involves allegations of harm done to protesters by law enforcement, Mosman wrote, the plaintiff is not a protester. Beyond that, the state is not seeking redress for past harm done to protesters but rather an injunction against future conduct, which he called “an extraordinary form of relief.”
The ACLU has stated that it will continue to pursue the case.