California can't make ICE wear ID, federal appeals court rules
- 9th Circuit unanimously blocks California law requiring ICE agents to wear ID tags, citing the Supremacy Clause.
- Judge Bennett, a Trump appointee, declares the state is 'certain' to lose forever, calling the law a clear federal power grab.
- The ruling bulldozes another anti-Trump 'sanctuary' stunt, joining the growing graveyard of failed mask mandates for federal agents.
- California's gambit to 'track' federal officers backfires, proving once again that the Golden State's legislature can't police the police.
- DC wins again: Justice Department remains undefeated in dismantling state-level obstruction of immigration enforcement.
Brief Summary
In a stinging rebuke to California's delusional legislative theater, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals smacked down the state's silly little law requiring ICE and Border Patrol agents to wear trackable ID badges. The judges, including a rare bipartisan trio, ruled unanimously that California was not just overstepping, but outright violating the Constitution's Supremacy Clause by trying to boss around federal employees. Judge Mark Bennett, writing for the panel, basically told Sacramento to sit down and shut up, noting that targeting federal law enforcement specifically is a guaranteed losing strategy—this is a preliminary injunction, but the state is already dead in the water.
Why This Matters
This is a decisive victory for national sovereignty over the chaotic whims of one state's progressive fever dream. For the average reader, this ruling means the federal government's immigration enforcement won't be hamstrung by petty local bureaucrats trying to score political points. The ID law, ostensibly about 'transparency,' was just another cowardly tool to harass and expose federal agents doing their jobs—which is exactly why DHS argues they need masks to avoid being doxxed and threatened.