District judges have temporarily halted the deployment of National Guard troops in Chicago and in Portland, Oregon. Secretary Hegseth ordered the deployment as part of the president's attempt to preserve federal buildings and property from attacks by anti-ICE demonstrators, many of whom belong to Antifa.

Separately, another district judge has blocked the Office of Management and Budget from following through on layoffs of furloughed federal employees during the government shutdown. The judge stated that the federal workers' unions were likely to prevail in their lawsuit against the administration's staffing cuts. President Trump issued an executive order last week that continues to restrict government hiring after his January 20 order for a federal hiring freeze expired.