Oregon was denied a temporary restraining order it sought against federal agents detaining anti-racism protesters in Portland without giving a reason.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, who sued the U.S. last week over the alleged conduct, had asked the court to stop Department of Homeland Security agents and U.S. Marshals from detaining people without probable cause or a warrant, and to require them to identify themselves in making arrests as well as explain that the person is being arrested and why.
U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman denied the TRO.
Federal agents "are walking up, they are grabbing those people, and they are marching them into this unmarked van," Sheila Potter, an attorney for Oregon, said during oral arguments Wednesday by videoconference. "And that is terrifying."
Mosman pressed Oregon to show that the officers didn't have probable cause, and grilled the U.S. on its failure to respond in court filings to one protester's account that he was snatched off the street for no reason.
Friday's ruling follows an order issued Thursday by another Portland federal judge temporarily barring federal agents from arresting, threatening or using physical force against journalists and legal observers at the protests. More than a dozen journalists and legal observers claimed they were tear gassed or shot with munitions by agents despite being clearly identifiable.
In yet another case, the American Civil Liberties Union is suing the U.S. and Portland on behalf of volunteer street medics, alleging officers attacked them during the demonstrations.
