Some days, it seems like the nation’s courts consistently rule against Donald Trump and his agenda. On Wednesday, however, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit came down with a win for the president and granted the administration's request for an injunction pending appeal as to a section of California’s No Vigilantes Act, which demands that non‑uniformed law‑enforcement officers clearly display identification, including name or badge number and agency.
See, there’s a little something in the Constitution called the Supremacy Clause, as the court noted. First Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said the decision was "huge":
Huge legal victory this morning in the Ninth Circuit, where the court permanently enjoined California’s unconstitutional mask law targeting federal agents.
— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) April 22, 2026
“We conclude that § 10 of the No Vigilantes Act attempts to directly regulate the United States in its performance of… pic.twitter.com/fZNjG9QepO
“We conclude that § 10 of the No Vigilantes Act attempts to directly regulate the United States in its performance of governmental functions. The Supremacy Clause forbids the State from enforcing such legislation. The United States is therefore likely to succeed on the merits of its Supremacy Clause claim, and the other preliminary injunction factors also weigh in its favor. Thus, we grant the motion for an injunction pending appeal.”
Boom.
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The court described the law thusly:
Section 10 of the No Vigilantes Act requires any nonuniformed “federal law enforcement officer” operating in California, with narrow exceptions, to “visibly display identification” while performing federal law enforcement duties, and officers who violate the law face criminal prosecution by the State.
The problem? The Supremacy Clause explains pretty clearly that states don’t have the right to tell federal officials what to do:
The Supremacy Clause, found in Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, establishes that federal law outranks state law whenever the two conflict. It declares the Constitution, federal statutes, and treaties to be the “supreme Law of the Land,” and it requires every state judge to follow federal law even when their own state’s constitution or statutes say something different. The clause is the reason a single federal regulation can override dozens of conflicting state laws at once, and understanding how it works explains many of the biggest legal battles between Washington and state capitals.
California and its cultish anti-ICE regime, led by the likes of Gov. Gavin Newsom, has pushed the envelope many a time. This time, the courts said, “No go, people. Read your Constitution.”
BREAKING: The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has issued an injunction blocking enforcement of California’s new law that requires ICE agents to unmask and wear visible ID, arguing it violates the Supremacy Clause because it “attempts to directly regulate the United States in its… pic.twitter.com/jedIEO0z2N
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) April 22, 2026
BREAKING: The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has issued an injunction blocking enforcement of California’s new law that requires ICE agents to unmask and wear visible ID, arguing it violates the Supremacy Clause because it “attempts to directly regulate the United States in its performance of governmental functions.”
California is enjoined from enforcing the law, pending appeal. Big win for the Trump administration & U.S. DOJ.
To be clear, Wednesday's ruling has to do with the identification requirements of the No Vigilantes Act rather than masks. (The district court actually granted the federal government's motion for a preliminary injunction on the facial covering prohibition of the No Secret Police Act back in February, so that is not part of this appeal.)
Let’s hope for more of this as the Democrats keep trying to defy the law and go their own way. That’s not how it works.
Editor's Note: This article was updated post-publication for clarity.
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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