New York Cannot Ban Federal Agents From Wearing Masks, Judge Rules

Authored by Chris Summers via The Epoch Times,

A judge ruled on Aug. 3 that New York cannot ban federal agents from wearing masks or balaclavas, or require them to wear visible identification.

U.S. District Judge Mae D'Agostino, for the Northern District of New York, wrote that New York state's perspective "is grounded in unavoidable observations of recent troubling events which loom darkly over the public perception of the manner in which federal immigration law is enforced."

"New York appears to be well-intentioned in its pursuit of transparent policing," she said in her ruling.

"However, the issue now before the Court is about constitutionality - not transparency or preferable policy decisions. There is a constitutional proscription on direct state regulation of federal agency operations."

She said that whether federal law enforcement agencies have chosen to carry out their operations in a "sufficiently transparent manner" was an important question, but it was not for the court to decide at this time.

Federal Agents Fear Doxxing

Federal agents have been wearing masks to protect their identities because they and their families fear being doxxed by activists.

The federal government argued that New York's law goes against the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution, which bars state governments from