Federal judge blocks California’s law enforcement mask ban
By Piper HudspethBlackburn, CNN
(CNN) — A federal judge in California on Monday temporarily blocked the state from enforcing its ban on most law enforcement officers from wearing masks during operations.
US District Judge Christina Snyder in Los Angeles granted the Trump administration’s request for a preliminary injunction, finding that the ban “unlawfully discriminates” against federal agents because it does not equally apply to state law enforcement officers.
Snyder, however, kept in place another law requiring federal officers operating in the state to display either their name or badge number.
The ruling is a partial win for the Trump administration, which challenged the policies in federal court last year, insisting both be thrown out to protect federal agents.
The administration had argued that the laws, signed in September in response to immigration raids last summer in Los Angeles, were an unconstitutional attempt to regulate federal law enforcement officers.
CNN has reached out to the Justice Department and California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office for comment.
The mask ban, the first of its kind in the United States according to the Associated Press, seeks to bar neck gaiters, ski masks and other facial coverings for local and federal officers who are conducting official business. There are exceptions for undercover agents, medical masks and tactical gear. The legislation came after months of immigration arrests conducted by masked federal agents using aggressive tactics across the country.
Currently, there is no federal policy dictating when officers can or should cover their faces during arrests. Historically, officers have almost always concealed their faces only while performing undercover work to protect the integrity of ongoing investigations, law enforcement experts have told CNN.
For his part, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has insisted the ban pushes back against the federal government’s use of masked agents without identification or badge numbers to detain people on the streets during immigration raids.
“It’s like a dystopian sci-fi movie. Unmarked cars, people in masks, people quite literally disappearing,” Newsom said at a press conference when he signed the law last year.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
The post Federal judge blocks California’s law enforcement mask ban appeared first on News Channel 3-12.