Federal officers restrict press access to Portland protests; judge orders them to stop

Published 2026-09-22. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 3 sources.

Status: reversed, as of 2026-09-22.

What we don't know: The full extent of federal officers' compliance with the injunction, and whether any officer was individually disciplined, was not established in the sources reviewed.

After federal officers deployed to Portland used tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets on journalists and legal observers covering protests, the American Civil Liberties Union sued, and a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction barring officers from dispersing, arresting or using force against clearly identified press.¹

Country: United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)
Where: United States
Level of government: National
Tactics: Access bans, Detention and violence
Stage: Punish (see the ladder)
Head of government at the time: Donald Trump
Issue of the day: The federal government sent Department of Homeland Security officers to Portland in July 2020 to protect a federal courthouse during nightly protests that followed George Floyd's killing; officers' use of force against bystanders, including identified journalists, prompted the lawsuit.
Outcome: Reversed, July 23, 2020. On July 23, 2020, the court ordered federal agents to stop dispersing, arresting or using force against identified journalists and legal observers; the order was later extended.
Era: The 2020s

What happened

Through June and July 2020, journalists and legal observers covering nightly protests in Portland, Oregon said police and later federal officers deployed by the Department of Homeland Security used tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, flash-bang grenades and physical force against them even after they identified themselves as press, and in some cases arrested them or seized their equipment. The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon sued on their behalf, seeking a court order to stop the practice. On July 16, 2020, U.S. District Judge Michael Simon issued a preliminary injunction barring officers from dispersing, arresting, threatening to arrest or using force against journalists and legal observers who could be identified by press passes, badges or distinctive clothing, and from ordering them to stop recording or seizing their equipment. On July 23, 2020, he applied the same limits to federal agents of the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Marshals Service in a temporary restraining order, which was later extended; the orders ran through the fall of 2020.¹²³⁴⁵

What reason was given

Federal and local officials generally described the use of force as necessary to disperse crowds and protect the courthouse and officers; no agency specifically justified using force against identified journalists.¹²³⁴

What changed for reporting

Journalists reported being unable to safely document the protests and the federal response to them for weeks until the injunction took effect, after which the order gave them a specific, enforceable right to record police activity from a normal distance.²

Timeline

2020

July 23, 2020

Federal officers restrict press access to Portland protests; judge orders them to stop

Who acted

Name	Role in this incident	Office at the time
Donald Trump	other	President of the United States
U.S. Department of Homeland Security	enforced	Federal department deploying officers to Portland in 2020

Sources

Judge Grants Preliminary Injunction in ACLU Case to Protect Journalists and Legal Observers Covering ProtestsACLU of Oregon, 2020-07-16, reporting. Source record
ACLU Requests Temporary Restraining Order to Protect Journalists Covering Protests of Police BrutalityACLU of Oregon, 2020-06-30, reporting. Source record
Federal Court Issues Restraining Order on Federal Agents in PortlandACLU of Oregon, 2020-07-23, reporting. Source record

Claims cited

A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction protecting journalists and legal observers covering Portland protests. This injunction is a critical protection for journalists and legal observers exercising their fundamental right to record and observe police activities at these important protests. Judge Grants Preliminary Injunction in ACLU Case to Protect Journalists and Legal Observers Covering Protests, ACLU of Oregon, 2020-07-16. Claim 490, checked 2026-09-22.
The ACLU said officers had used rubber bullets, tear gas, pepper spray and other force against journalists and observers before the injunction. targeted journalists and observers with rubber bullets, tear gas, pepper spray, beatings, flash-bang grenades, detentions, arrests, and threats ACLU Requests Temporary Restraining Order to Protect Journalists Covering Protests of Police Brutality, ACLU of Oregon, 2020-06-30. Claim 332, checked 2026-09-22.
The ACLU said the pattern of force had made people afraid to document the protests. people are afraid to report on and observe protests because the police have targeted journalists and observers ACLU Requests Temporary Restraining Order to Protect Journalists Covering Protests of Police Brutality, ACLU of Oregon, 2020-06-30. Claim 333, checked 2026-09-22.
The requested order specifically listed the tactics officers were to stop using against press. Using any form of physical force against a journalist or legal observer, including tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and flash-bang grenades ACLU Requests Temporary Restraining Order to Protect Journalists Covering Protests of Police Brutality, ACLU of Oregon, 2020-06-30. Claim 334, checked 2026-09-22.
On July 23, 2020, Judge Michael Simon's temporary restraining order barred federal agents in Portland from dispersing, arresting or using force against journalists and legal observers; the July 16 order had applied to the Portland police. U.S. District Judge Michael Simon today blocked federal agents in Portland from dispersing, arresting, threatening to arrest, or targeting force against journalists or legal observers at protests. Federal Court Issues Restraining Order on Federal Agents in Portland, ACLU of Oregon, 2020-07-23. Claim 491, checked 2026-09-22.