A federal judge has ruled that New York cannot prohibit federal agents from wearing face coverings or require them to display visible identification. The decision by U.S. District Judge Mae D’Agostino for the Northern District of New York determined that such state measures infringe upon federal authority.
D’Agostino wrote that while New York’s intentions in seeking transparency in policing may be commendable, the court’s purview is limited to the constitutionality of the law, not policy preferences. The ruling indicates that the state’s measures likely conflict with the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution, which establishes federal law as supreme to state law and bars states from regulating federal law enforcement.
The measures in question were part of a broader slate of law enforcement policies enacted as part of the state budget bill, signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul in May. New York’s regulations regarding face coverings and identification for federal agents took effect in June.
Governor Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James stated that they “stand firm in our belief that masked agents do not make New York safer” and that their offices are currently reviewing all available legal options. This ruling follows a similar decision earlier this year that blocked a comparable law in California. The California law was enacted after the Trump administration increased immigration arrests.
California became the first state to ban most law enforcement officers from wearing facial coverings, enacting its law in September after a period of high-profile immigration raids in Los Angeles. The blocking of that law was seen as potentially having nationwide implications for other states considering similar restrictions on immigration agents.
In May, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit against Connecticut over its new state law that also prohibits federal agents from wearing masks. The legal challenges highlight an ongoing tension between state efforts to regulate law enforcement presence and federal authority.
Masked federal agents were observed outside immigration courts in New York on July 8, 2025, and again on July 16, 2025, at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building.