US Sues Connecticut Over Face Coverings for Federal Officers (2)

The federal government says Connecticut’s new law prohibiting federal officials from wearing face coverings while interacting with the public is unconstitutional, according to a lawsuit filed Friday.

The US District Court for the District of Connecticut should enjoin Senate Bill 397 because it violates the supremacy clause, the complaint says.

The law improperly subjects federal officers to criminal laws that seek “to regulate how those officers carry out their federal duties,” the suit says.

“The state’s actions are both fully lawful and necessary to protect public safety and we will vigorously defend the law,” Connecticut Attorney General William Tong (D) told Bloomberg Law.

The complaint cited the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit’s April 22 ruling, which granted an injunction against a “materially similar” California law requiring federal officers to display identification.

The California law “purports to override the federal government’s power to determine whether, how, and when to publicly identify its officers,” the Ninth Circuit said.

The US District Court for the Central District of California said Feb. 9 that the state’s mask law unlawfully regulated and discriminated against the federal government.

New Jersey’s ban on law enforcement face coverings is also facing a challenge from the US government.

The case is United States v. Connecticut, D. Conn., No. 26-cv-758, complaint filed 5/15/26.