Appeals court blocks California law barring immigration officers from wearing masks

A federal appeals court struck down California’s law banning federal immigration officers from wearing masks, finding the Golden State overstepped its authority by attempting to regulate the federal government.

A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found California’s law violates the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, saying it “attempts to directly regulate the United States in its performance of governmental functions.”

“If a state law directly regulates the conduct of the United States, it is void irrespective of whether the
regulated activities are essential to federal functions or operations, and irrespective of the degree to which the state law interferes with federal functions or operations,” the ruling said.

“Section 10 of the No Vigilantes Act attempts to directly regulate the federal government in its performance of law enforcement operations,” the ruling continued.

The panel included Circuit Judges Jacqueline Nguyen, an appointee of former President Barack Obama; Mark