Los Angeles’ top federal prosecutor put Gov. Gavin Newsom on blast for “misleading the public” after he claimed victory over a court ruling that partially blocked a new California law affecting federal law enforcement.
Newsom had taken to X on Monday to celebrate an incomplete win after a federal judge blocked a law that would ban federal agents from wearing masks in the state during law enforcement activity.
US District Judge Christina Snyder did rule in favor of a provision that requires all law enforcement officers — federal and state — to wear badges or other identification on their uniforms.
“A federal court just upheld California’s law REQUIRING federal agents to identify themselves. California will keep standing up for civil rights and our democracy,” Newsom wrote on X.
“That’s a funny way of saying you lost,” First Assistant US Attorney for the Central District Bill Essayli fired back on X. “A federal judge BLOCKED your anti-masking law because it violated the Supremacy Clause.”
Judge Snyder, a Clinton-nominated US district judge, ruled that the mask measure “treats federal law enforcement differently than similarly situated state law enforcement officers.”
The Trump administration hailed the decision as a “key court victory.”
“These federal agents are harassed, doxxed, obstructed, and attacked on a regular basis just for doing their jobs,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X. “We have no tolerance for it. We will continue fighting and winning in court for President Trump’s law-and-order agenda — and we will ALWAYS have the backs of our great federal law enforcement officers.”
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Newsom signed Senate Bill 627, known as the No Secret Police Act, in September 2025 to prohibit local and federal law enforcement officers from wearing masks or facial coverings to conceal their identity while conducting official duties. The law was set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
In November 2025, the Trump administration filed suit in the Central District of California. The Department of Justice argued the law violates the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause by interfering with federal officers’ duties.
Under the law Newsom signed, officers who violate either the mask or identification requirements could face criminal charges, including jail time and fines or civil penalties.
In response to the ruling, California state Sen. Scott Wiener — who is also running for Congress to replace Nancy Pelosi — said he intends to introduce a new measure that would apply to all law enforcement agencies.
Wiener said he wants the law to take effect immediately once passed and signed.
The state senator noted that the initial draft of the bill also applied to state officers, but that “based on communications with the governor’s office, we removed state police,” a change the court ruled was discriminatory.
California Democrats passed the “No Secret Police Act” in response to what they described as a “terror campaign” by federal immigration and border agents.
