A federal judge on Monday blocked a California law that bans most law enforcement officers, including ICE agents, from wearing masks.
The Trump administration filed a lawsuit after California became the first state to enact legislation prohibiting law enforcement officers from wearing facial coverings, arguing that the law threatened the safety of officers and violated the Constitution by regulating the federal government.
“U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder said the law’s exemption for state police discriminates against federal agents included in the ban,” ABC7 Los Angeles reports.
“A federal judge has blocked California’s law requiring ICE to remove masks — but concludes it’s not an impermissible regulation if the state tweaks it to apply to all law enforcement, not just feds,” POLITICO reporter Kyle Cheney said.
JUST IN: A federal judge has blocked California’s law requiring ICE to remove masks — but concludes it’s not an impermissible regulation if the state tweaks it to apply to all law enforcement, not just feds. https://t.co/5YLhS14N17 pic.twitter.com/fSUsFtMaKa
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) February 9, 2026
More from the Associated Press:
The ruling could have national implications as states grapple with how to deal with federal agents enforcing the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
It left open the possibility to future legislation banning federal agents from wearing masks if it applied to all law enforcement agencies, with Snyder writing “the Court finds that federal officers can perform their federal functions without wearing masks.” The ruling will go into effect Feb. 19.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill in September banning some law enforcement officers from wearing masks, neck gaiters, and other facial coverings. It was slated to go into effect Jan. 1 but was put on hold due to the lawsuit.
In addition to exempting state law enforcement officers, it made exceptions for undercover agents, protective equipment like N95 respirators or tactical gear, and other situations where not wearing a mask would jeopardize an operation. Snyder sided with the federal government, which argued this exemption was discriminatory against federal agents.
“The judge, who is a Clinton appointee, argued that that new law violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, and it singles out federal agents, which ultimately discriminates against them,” Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin said.
Check it out:
🚨 IT’S OFFICIAL: “A federal judge has just BLOCKED California’s new law to BAN ICE agents from wearing masks in the state.”
“The judge, who is a Clinton appointee, argued that that new law violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, and it singles out federal… pic.twitter.com/ehn93x31et
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 9, 2026
ABC7 Los Angeles shared further:
Although Snyder blocked the mask ban, she upheld the state’s “No Vigilantes Act,” which was signed into law at the same time. The law requires any law enforcement officer operating in California to visibly display identification that includes their agency and either their name or badge number. Like the “No Secret Police Act,” this law also has exceptions for certain operations, though it notably also applies to state police.
The judge’s ruling allows legislators to rewrite the ban without the exemption for state police. It’s unclear if Gov. Gavin Newsom would sign that version of the bill.