WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Justice filed lawsuits against St. Paul, Minnesota, and Portland, Oregon, on Thursday, challenging local laws that restrict federal law enforcement officers from wearing masks and require them to identify themselves in specified ways.
The lawsuits argue that the cities’ ordinances unconstitutionally interfere with federal law enforcement operations and violate the federal government’s authority under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
According to the Justice Department, the laws could also put federal officers and their families at risk by making officers more vulnerable to harassment, doxxing and violence.
“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. said in a statement announcing the lawsuits.
Woodward argued that local restrictions could compromise federal operations and expose officers to potential threats.
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said the federal government, rather than state and local governments, has the authority to determine what equipment federal officers may wear while performing their official duties.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Scott Bradford also criticized the ordinances, saying they could interfere with federal law enforcement efforts and endanger officers working in local communities.
The complaints challenge provisions in the St. Paul Code of Ordinances and the Portland City Code governing masks and identification requirements for federal officers. The Justice Department contends that the measures unlawfully regulate federal personnel and could expose officers to penalties for protecting their identities.
The department said the lawsuits are part of a broader effort directed by Attorney General Pam Bondi to identify state and local laws, policies and practices that it believes obstruct federal law enforcement or impede lawful federal operations.
According to the announcement, the Civil Division has pursued similar legal challenges involving jurisdictions including New York, Virginia, Connecticut, New Jersey, California, Maryland, Philadelphia, Denver and Milwaukee.
The lawsuits were announced Oct. 15 by the Justice Department. The department’s release did not include responses from the cities, and the allegations have not been adjudicated in court.
