A federal appeals court Wednesday blocked California from requiring plainclothes federal agents to display badges and identification during operations, handing the Trump administration a victory in its fight over the state’s immigration enforcement restrictions.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit concluded that the federal government is “certain to succeed” in its challenge to the requirement under California’s No Vigilantes Act. The panel found that the mandate conflicts with the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, which establishes the primacy of federal law over conflicting state laws, reported Fox News.
“Section 10 explicitly overrides the federal government’s power to determine whether, how, and when to publicly identify its officers,” the court wrote.
The ruling deals a setback to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s efforts to regulate federal immigration enforcement in California. Newsom signed the identification requirement and a related restriction on law enforcement face coverings as state officials challenged the administration’s enforcement practices.
The Trump administration sued in November 2025 over provisions of the No Vigilantes Act and the No Secret Police Act. U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder, a Clinton appointee, blocked the mask restriction from applying to federal officers but allowed the identification requirement to stand.
The Justice Department appealed. The 9th Circuit temporarily halted enforcement in February and granted an injunction pending appeal in April. Wednesday’s decision keeps the identification requirement on hold.
The ruling comes as the Trump administration presses ahead with its nationwide immigration crackdown. According to the White House, more than 605,000 illegal immigrants have been deported since Trump returned to office, while another 1.9 million have self-deported, bringing total departures to more than 2.5 million.
California argued that its law did not improperly regulate federal officers because state restrictions cross constitutional lines only when they substantially burden federal operations. The panel rejected that argument, finding that states cannot directly dictate how federal officials perform their duties.
“The burden of the regulation on federal operations, whether substantial or otherwise, is irrelevant,” the judges wrote.
Justice Department officials welcomed the decision. Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate, who leads the department’s Civil Division, wrote on X that “The Ninth Circuit agrees that California cannot regulate federal law enforcement.”
Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, Jr. said, “Today, the Ninth Circuit again affirms what common sense makes clear: California cannot regulate how Federal law enforcement officers carry out their jobs authorized by Congress.”
The injunction remains temporary while the appeal proceeds. Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
