Ninth Circuit Blocks California’s Entire ‘No Secret Police Act’ in Major Win for Trump DOJ

In yet another humiliating defeat for Governor Gavin Newsom’s war on federal immigration enforcement, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a full stay Thursday blocking enforcement of California’s entire “No Secret Police Act” (Senate Bill 627), not just the mask ban portion targeting ICE and other federal agents.

The ruling, which cites the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, marks a complete triumph for the Trump Justice Department, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli in the Central District of California. 

It reaffirms what California Globe has repeatedly documented: Sacramento Democrats cannot regulate, harass, or endanger federal officers carrying out lawful duties.

Bondi celebrated the win on X, stating: “The 9th Circuit has now issued a FULL stay blocking California’s ban on masks for federal law enforcement agents. Law enforcement officers risk their lives for us, only to be doxxed by radical anti-police activists. Unacceptable. This crucial ruling protects our brave men and women in the field. We will not stop fighting bad laws like these in California and across the country.”

Essayli, who has led the charge in court, put it bluntly: “The state of California needs to familiarize itself with the Supremacy Clause. It does not have the authority to regulate federal agents.” He added that this is “another key win for the Justice Department.”

The state of California needs to familiarize itself with the Supremacy Clause. It does not have the authority to regulate federal agents. This is another key win for the Justice Department. https://t.co/TcuEXy0B2c

— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) February 19, 2026

The law, signed by Newsom in September 2025 and set to take effect January 1, 2026, would have criminalized federal agents — particularly ICE officers conducting deportation operations — for wearing masks or facial coverings while on duty. A companion “No Vigilantes Act” (SB 805) imposed identification requirements designed to facilitate doxxing and retaliation against federal personnel and their families.

As California Globe reported, in November the Trump DOJ promptly sued Newsom, Bonta, and the state, arguing the measures were unconstitutional attempts to discriminate against and obstruct federal operations in violation of the Supremacy Clause. 

U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder (a Clinton appointee) had already issued a preliminary injunction against the discriminatory mask ban earlier this month, noting it unfairly singled out federal agents while carving out exemptions for California Highway Patrol and state officers. 

The Ninth Circuit has now gone further, halting the entire statutory scheme.

Newsom’s office had initially spun the district court’s partial ruling as a “win for transparency,” but Thursday’s full Ninth Circuit stay leaves no room for spin. The Supremacy Clause is not optional — even in the People’s Republic of California.

Federal agents operating in high-threat environments — facing riots, doxxing, and violence stoked by Democratic rhetoric — must be free to protect their identities. States cannot turn law enforcement into sitting ducks for activist left-wing mobs.

As Essayli and Bondi have made clear, this is part of a broader DOJ offensive to dismantle unconstitutional state barriers to federal immigration enforcement. California taxpayers are footing the bill for Governor Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta’s losing courtroom crusades.

The message from the Ninth Circuit could not be clearer: Federal law reigns supreme. California’s radical experiment in nullification has failed — again.