Judge: ‘well-intentioned’ New York law still fails constitutional test
New York cannot ban federal agents from wearing face coverings or require them to wear visible identification, a federal judge ruled Monday.
U.S. District Judge Mae D’Agostino of the Northern District of New York wrote that the federal government has shown a likelihood that the measures go against the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution, which bars states from regulating federal law enforcement.
D’Agostino wrote that while New York “appears to be well-intentioned in its pursuit of transparent policing,” that is not what the court is deciding. “The issue now before the Court is about constitutionality—not transparency or preferable policy decisions,” she wrote.
The ruling follows a federal judge’s decision earlier this year that blocked a similar California law, which was enacted after the Trump administration moved to increase immigration arrests.