The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked the state of California from requiring federal law enforcement officers to wear visible identification and to wear no facial coverings. The legislation was intended to target US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.

The Trump administration is likely to prevail on the merits of its allegation that California’s “No Vigilantes Act” violates the Supremacy Clause of the US Constitution, as decided by the three-judge panel that granted the injunction on Wednesday. The Supremacy Clause requires federal law to be upheld when there’s a conflict with state law.

“We conclude that [section] 10 of the No Vigilantes Act attempts to directly regulate the United States in its performance of governmental functions,” the ruling reads. “The Supremacy Clause forbids the State from enforcing such legislation. The United States is therefore likely to succeed on the merits of the Supremacy Clause claim, and the other preliminary injunction factors also weigh in its favor. Thus, we grant the motion for an injunction pending appeal.”

The No Vigilantes Act, or Senate Bill 805, signed into law last year requires all law enforcement officers operating in the state of California to wear visible identification and no facial coverings, or masks. Democratic lawmakers said the legislation was intended to “boost transparency,” but the Trump Justice Department claimed it would expose federal agents involved in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, putting officers at risk and leading to doxxing.
 

In response to the ruling, First Assistant US Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli wrote on X, “Huge legal victory this morning in the Ninth Circuit, where the court permanently enjoined California’s unconstitutional mask law targeting federal agents.”

The decision follows a temporary administration injunction previously issued by the Ninth Circuit in response to the Trump administration’s lawsuit filed last November. The state of California can file an appeal to Wednesday’s decision, which could impact other states that recently implemented mask bans for federal officers, such as Washington and Oregon.