Court slaps down California attempt to unmask ICE in bombshell ruling

A federal appeals court has permanently nixed a California law that would have forced ICE agents to wear identification, saying that the state can’t regulate actions by the federal government.The 9th U.S.Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday agreed with the Trump administration that the California law violated the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause by interfering with federal officers’ duties.

The court previously had blocked the law in April.“As before, we conclude … the No Vigilantes Act attempts to directly regulate the United States in its performance of governmental functions,” Judge Mark J.Bennett wrote.

“No set of circumstances exist under which the Act would be valid.”Trump officials cheered the ruling.First Assistant US Attorney for the Central District Bill Essayli condemned California on Wednesday.“Huge win for the Supremacy Clause,” Essayli said.

“California continues to violate the U.S.Constitution, and we will continue to hold them accountable.”The Justice Department had sued to block the ID requirement alongside a related law attempting to ban masks for federal agents and local police last fall.

A federal judge blocked the mask rule but had let the ID requirement proceed.Now, the appellate court has stepped in to invalidate the ID rules.“If a state law directly regulates the governmental conduct of the United States without congressional authorization, it is void irrespective of whether the regulated activities are essential to federal functions or operations, and irrespective of the degree to which the state law interferes with such functions or operations,” Bennett wrote.The Post reached out to California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office for comment.Bonta’s office previously argued that the law was needed to provide “transparency and accountability” for a federal administration that is using immigration enforcement to step “well outside the boundaries of normal practice.”Democrats in California and aroun...