A federal appeals court has blocked a 2025 California law requiring federal immigration agents to wear visible identification. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an injunction pending appeal, agreeing with the Trump administration that the law violates the Supremacy Clause by directly regulating federal operations. The court unanimously ruled the law 'attempts to directly regulate the United States in its performance of governmental functions,' as written by Judge Mark J. Bennett. The panel included two Trump appointees and one Obama appointee. California argued the law was necessary for public safety, warning that unidentified agents risk being mistaken for criminals, potentially leading to violence. However, the court stated it did not weigh public safety concerns because constitutional rights were at stake, citing precedent that 'all citizens have a stake in upholding the Constitution.' The case also involved a related California law banning facial coverings for law enforcement, which had already been blocked. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli called the ruling a 'huge legal victory,' while the California Attorney General’s office did not immediately comment.

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