The Justice Department filed lawsuits against two blue cities on Thursday to challenge their rules banning federal officers from wearing face coverings and requiring them to display their names or badge numbers while on duty.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) says the cities of St. Paul, Minnesota, and Portland, Oregon, are violating the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.
"Under the Supremacy Clause of our Nation's Constitution, states and localities cannot regulate the Federal Government and its law enforcement officers," Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. argued, according to a DOJ press release:
Not only are these laws illegal attempts to regulate the Federal Government, but, as alleged in the complaints, the laws threaten the safety of federal officers who have faced an unprecedent wave of harassment, doxxing, and even violence. Threatening officers with prosecution for simply protecting their identities and their families also chills the enforcement of federal law and compromises sensitive law enforcement operations.
Justice Department Files Complaints Against the Cities of St. Paul and Portland Challenging Mask Ban and Identification Requirements for Federal Officers “Under the Supremacy Clause of our Nation’s Constitution, states and localities cannot regulate the Federal Government and its law enforcement officers,” said @ASGWoodward. “And they certainly cannot enact laws that place the safety of federal law enforcement at risk and undermine federal operations authorized by Congress. This Department of Justice will never tolerate the doxxing or harassment of federal officers, or any law like those in St. Paul and Portland that enables violent behavior against federal law enforcement officers and their families.” 🔗: https://t.co/obr5BO7kNR
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) October 15, 2026
The rules cover officers with agencies like the FBI, DEA, Homeland Security, and others. Violations are considered misdemeanors that can carry fines, jail time, or both.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson acknowledged that the rules are unlikely to stand. In an April 30 memo, he wrote that the rule “would attract a court challenge and that the city would likely lose.”
Federal officials argue that following the rules would put officers at risk. The Justice Department says they have faced “harassment, doxxing, and even violence” while carrying out their duties.
The complaint says the rules violate the Supremacy Clause because they attempt to “regulate how federal law enforcement officers carry out their duties in that City” by mandating visible identification and banning face coverings.
The DOJ asserts that "Federal law prohibits state and local governments from regulating the activities of the Federal Government" and is requesting that the court declare the ordinances invalid and permanently enjoin their enforcement.
Editor’s Note: Democrat politicians and their radical supporters will do everything they can to interfere with and threaten ICE agents enforcing our immigration laws.
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