The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Democrat New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Attorney General Jennifer Davenport over a law the DOJ says restricts federal law enforcement.
The DOJ contends that the law, “Law Enforcement Officer Protection Act,” is unconstitutional because it bans law enforcement officers from wearing masks while working and requires that officers “provide sufficient identification prior to detaining or arresting an individual,” the 24-page complaint said.
The complaint also says the law offers limited, vague exceptions but leaves the state’s attorney general to “issue guidelines or a directive necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.” (RELATED: DOJ Alleges Mexican Politicians Conspired With Notorious Cartel)
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the DOJ’s Civil Division said the department will “steadfastly protect the privacy and safety of law enforcement from unconstitutional state laws like New Jersey’s,” according to a department statement.
The DOJ statement further characterizes the law as an illegal attempt for the state to regulate the federal government, as well as a potential catalyst for further harassment, doxing, and possible violence that members of federal law enforcement, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have previously faced.
On Monday, a 26-year-old Oklahoma man was found guilty of threatening to kill ICE agents, and another 18-year-old was accused in February of plotting a gruesome murder spree against immigration agents in Oregon.
Davenport responded with a statement Wednesday, saying the act offers protection to both law enforcement and the public and defending the exceptions to wearing masks as careful and designed for “law enforcement safety and operational needs.”
Statement From Attorney General Davenport On U.S. Department of Justice Challenge To New Jersey Law Enforcement Officer Protection Act. pic.twitter.com/Nf7343PEj6
— Attorney General Jennifer Davenport (@NewJerseyOAG) April 29, 2026
“To this day, the federal government still cannot explain when its officials need to mask or forgo identification in violation of this law, or why they actually need to do so, particularly given the serious safety concerns inherent in anonymized policing,” Davenport said, adding that the federal government’s approach “will only undermine public trust and accountability, and make it easier for criminals to impersonate our officers.”
“In the United States of America, we’re not going to tolerate masked, roving militias pretending to be well-trained law enforcement agents,” Sherrill said upon announcing the law in late March, Courthouse News Service reported.
However, the federal government may have precedent, as a similar California law mandating that federal immigration law enforcement wear visible ID when on patrol and unmask themselves was blocked by an appeals court on April 22.
The lawsuit is one of many originating from a February memo from Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche ordering the department’s Civil Division to flag local and state laws, policies, and practices that may impede federal law enforcement operations or facilitate the violations of federal laws.
The Office of the New Jersey governor did not respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.