As Trump admin sues states over federal agent mask bans, Northwest remains on sidelines
Despite passing some of the nation’s first laws barring federal law enforcement agents from concealing their identities, Oregon and Washington have yet to receive the same response from the Trump administration as other Democratic states.
The U.S. Department of Justice sued California last year over a law criminalizing the use of masks by federal and local law enforcement, winning a federal court order blocking that policy in February. The Trump administration also sued New Jersey and Connecticut in recent months seeking to strike down similar laws, which have gained traction in state legislatures nationwide amid concern about aggressive instances of federal immigration enforcement with little accountability.
But the administration has yet to challenge similar laws in two Northwest states, even though Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed those measures into law weeks before Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont signed his state’s mask law.
Some legal observers say the timeline is a function of how Oregon’s and Washington’s laws are designed to be enforced and a reflection that they don’t pose an immediate threat to hampering the federal government’s actions. Both states also fall under the jurisdiction of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, where the federal government recently scored a key legal victory that has cast doubt on the future viability of state mask laws targeting federal agents. They also both rely upon civil suits to enforce their bans on facial coverings.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/06/04/repub/as-trump-admin-sues-states-over-federal-agent-mask-bans-northwest-remains-on-sidelines/