Judge blocks Philadelphia law targeting masked federal officers

close Video DOJ sues Virginia over anti-ICE policies as key anti-terror tool nears expiration The Department of Justice launches a lawsuit against Virginia concerning new anti-ICE policies, including a controversial mask ban for federal agents. Acting AG Todd Blanche argues these laws jeopardize federal officers. Concurrently, a major anti-terrorism tool, FISA, faces expiration tonight due to congressional inaction, raising national security concerns. Shannon Bream and Jim Jordan analyze the political stalemate and potential consequences. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked Philadelphia from enforcing against federal officers a law that restricted law enforcement officers’ use of masks, concealed identification and unmarked vehicles. District Judge Chad Kenney, issued a preliminary injunction blocking Philadelphia from enforcing the mask ban and other restrictions against federal officers before they are set to take effect on Tuesday. The judge ruled that the city cannot determine how federal officers conduct operations, siding with the Justice Department, which sued last month and argued the measure was a "blatantly unconstitutional" attempt to regulate federal agents. "When the Philadelphia City Council voted to pass Bill No. 260060 … it attempted to sidestep the Constitution’s clear mandate and disregarded this fundamental principle of law that has informed American jurisprudence for over 200 years," Kenney wrote, citing the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, which establishes that federal law preempts state and local law in cases of conflict. DOJ ESCALATES BLUE-STATE ICE STANDOFF AFTER STATES REFUSE KEY FEDERAL REQUEST A federal judge temporarily blocked a Philadelphia law that prohibited federal officers from wearing masks on duty. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via ) "Endorsing the City of Philadelphia's position would mean ... municipalities could decide whether to pass their own laws regulating how, when, where, and whether federal law enforcement officers can conceal their identities," he added. Philadelphia's mask ban against federal officers was approved earlier this year as part of a larger legislative package passed a national debate over masked immigration agents carrying out raids targeting migrants in communities across the country, with some of these agents documented shooting people, including two U. S. citizens in Minneapolis in January. The measure applied to local, state and federal law enforcement officers, but Thursday’s injunction blocked Philadelphia from enforcing it against federal officers. The statute would ban covered officers from wearing masks or shielding their identities while on duty and interacting with the public, with exceptions including medical masks, religious coverings, certain tactical equipment and hazardous conditions.