US judge rejects California law banning masks for federal officers

CALIFORNIA – A federal judge in Los Angeles on Feb 9 preliminarily struck down a California state law that bans federal officers from wearing masks while on duty. US District Judge Christina Snyder said the US government was likely to prove that the law is unconstitutional and granted its request for an order against its enforcement.

In the same ruling, Judge Snyder upheld another California law that requires federal officers to display identification when performing their duties.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement that Judge Snyder’s decision on the identification law was “a clear win for the rule of law”, and that “no badge and no name mean no accountability”.

US Attorney-General Pam Bondi called the decision on the mask law “ANOTHER key court victory” in a statement on X.

“These federal agents are harassed, doxxed, obstructed and attacked on a regular basis just for doing their jobs,” Ms Bondi said. “We have no tolerance for it.”

Mr Newsom signed the provisions in September 2025 amid Republican President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles during protests over immigration enforcement operations.

The US Department of Justice sued to strike down the laws in November and said it would not comply.

The department said in the lawsuit that federal officers “face a real threat of criminal liability from state officials who have made clear their intent to target federal officers and disrupt federal law enforcement activities, including federal immigration enforcement”.

Judge Snyder, an appointee of Democratic US President Bill Clinton, agreed with the Trump administration that California’s masking law violated the US Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, which prevents states from interfering with federal functions.

The judge said the law improperly targets federal officers by treating them differently than state law enforcement officers, who were excluded from the mask ban. REUTERS