⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

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Dickinson v. Trump — 9th Cir. (Jul 10, 2026)

No. 26-1609 Argued July 10, 2026 Published August 4, 2026; updated August 21, 2026

The Ninth Circuit reviews a preliminary injunction—a temporary order before final judgment—restricting federal agents' use of tear gas, pepper balls, and other crowd-control munitions outside Portland's ICE building. Protesters and journalists claim DHS repeatedly used force in retaliation for protected speech. After a three-day hearing, the district court found that claim likely to succeed and provisionally certified a class. Before this argument, the same appellate panel put the injunction and district-court proceedings on hold. The government says the district court used the wrong First Amendment standard and granted overbroad relief. The plaintiffs say the record supports retaliatory intent and that the district court's factual findings deserve deference.

Dickinson v. Trump (No. 26-1609) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, argued July 10, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit:https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/media/2026/07/10/26-1609.mp3
Argument listing — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit:https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/cases/streams-videos/archive?case=26-1609&hearingDate=2026-07-10
Order staying the preliminary injunction — Ninth Circuit:https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2026/04/27/26-1609.pdf
Opinion granting the preliminary injunction — District of Oregon:https://www.aclu-or.org/app/uploads/2025/11/155_Opinion-and-Order-Granting-Preliminary-Injunction.pdf
Plaintiffs-appellees' answering brief:https://www.aclu-or.org/app/uploads/2025/11/43.1-Appellees-Answering-Brief.pdf
Argument report — Courthouse News Service:https://www.courthousenews.com/feds-urge-ninth-circuit-for-continued-tear-gas-use-at-portland-ice-facility/
Matthew Borden — BraunHagey & Borden:https://www.braunhagey.com/matthew-borden
Clear-error review — Ninth Circuit:https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/uploads/guides/stand_of_review/I_Definitions.pdf
Clearly erroneous — Cornell Legal Information Institute:https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/clearly_erroneous

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