In a significant legal blow to California’s effort to regulate federal immigration tactics, a U.S. District Judge has blocked the state from enforcing a ban on masks for federal law enforcement officers. U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder issued a preliminary injunction on Monday, February 9, 2026, ruling that the “No Secret Police Act” (SB 627) is likely unconstitutional because it unlawfully discriminates against the federal government.
The law, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2025, sought to prohibit federal agents, specifically targeting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), from wearing face coverings like gaiters or ski masks during public operations. However, Judge Snyder pointed out a fatal legal flaw: the act exempted California state law enforcement, such as the Highway Patrol, from the same restrictions. Under the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause and the doctrine of intergovernmental immunity, states are prohibited from imposing regulatory burdens on the federal government that they do not apply to their own agencies.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed the ruling as a “key court victory,” asserting that masks are necessary to protect agents from being doxxed, harassed, or attacked while performing their duties. While Judge Snyder was not entirely convinced by the government’s argument that masks are essential for all operations, she maintained that the “unequal treatment” of federal officers compared to state officers made the current law indefensible.
In a split decision, the judge upheld a companion law, the “No Vigilantes Act” (SB 805), which requires all non-uniformed officers to clearly display their agency name and badge numbers. Governor Newsom claimed this as a partial victory for accountability, stating that “no badge and no name mean no accountability.”
The legal battle is far from over. Democratic State Senator Scott Wiener, the bill’s co-author, immediately announced plans to introduce emergency legislation to include state officers in the mask ban, aiming to remove the discriminatory element identified by the court. For now, federal agents in California may continue to wear masks during operations, though the court has stayed the ruling until February 19, 2026, to allow for further legal coordination. This ruling underscores the ongoing constitutional friction between “sanctuary” states and the federal government’s aggressive immigration enforcement agenda in 2026.
