Portland Protest Journalists Press Judge to Make Agents Back Off

(Bloomberg) -- A federal judge said he’s inclined to issue an order barring federal agents from arresting and using physical force against journalists and legal observers at Black Lives Matter protests in Portland, Oregon, without a reason.

U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon in Portland said during a virtual hearing Thursday he hopes to issue an order by 5 p.m. local time.

The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Marshals Service to stop what it called brutal attacks on journalists and observers at the anti-racism protests.

A different federal judge is weighing a request from Oregon’s attorney general for a court order prohibiting U.S. agents from detaining civilians without probable cause or a warrant.

President Donald Trump deployed the agents amid the sometimes violent protests in Portland, part of a nationwide outcry following the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis. Trump has threatened to send federal officers to Chicago and other cities as well, drawing criticism from local officials, Democrats, civil libertarians and others.

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