Justice · Friday, October 9, 2026
Justice Department sues Denver over its ban on masked federal officers
The File desk · Oct 9, 2026, 10:41 AM UTC
Status
Confirmed as a filing. The Justice Department's release, dated Oct. 8, 2026. A lawsuit is a claim. Denver's response was not fetched.
- Confirmed
The department sued the City and County of Denver, the mayor, the city attorney, and the police chief over a local mask-and-identification rule.
- Confirmed
The legal theory is the department's. This desk did not open the complaint or the ordinance.
Denver has a city law that, the Justice Department says, bars federal officers from wearing masks on duty and requires them to show identification in a set way. On Thursday the department sued the city and county, Mayor Michael C. Johnston, City Attorney Michiko Ando Brown, and Police Chief Ronald Thomas. It says the Constitution does not let cities regulate federal officers, and that the law exposes agents and their families to harassment and the posting of their private information. It is the latest in a string of similar suits. A lawsuit is the government's claim. Denver has not been heard in the sources opened here.
The department's release says it is challenging what it calls an unconstitutional attempt to regulate federal officers by prohibiting them from wearing masks and by requiring identification in the manner prescribed by Legal instrument A Denver ordinance that, per the Justice Department, bars officers from wearing masks and sets identification rules. This desk did not open the ordinance text. The link is the department's complaint announcement.Denver Revised Municipal Code §§ 28-300–28-303
Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. said that under the Legal instrument The part of the U.S. Constitution that makes federal law win when it conflicts with state or local law. The Justice Department cites it as the reason a city cannot regulate federal officers. Legal instrument The part of the U.S. Constitution that makes federal law win when it conflicts with state or local law. The Justice Department cites it as the reason a city cannot regulate federal officers.Supremacy Clause
Supremacy Clause
The department says it has filed similar cases in Maryland, New York, Virginia, Connecticut, New Jersey, California, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee. The court and the case number are not in the release this desk used.
What is still unknown or disputed
- The court and the case number. The complaint was not opened.
- When Denver's ordinance took effect, and its exact terms, including whether it covers local officers.
- Denver's response. It was not fetched.
Primary sources
Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.
Source 1
Justice Department Files Complaint Against the City and County of Denver Challenging Mask Ban and Identification Requirements for Federal Officers
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs · October 8, 2026
challenging their unconstitutional attempt to regulate federal law enforcement officers by prohibiting them from wearing masks and by requiring identification in the manner prescribed by
.Legal instrument
Denver Revised Municipal Code §§ 28-300–28-303
A Denver ordinance that, per the Justice Department, bars officers from wearing masks and sets identification rules. This desk did not open the ordinance text. The link is the department's complaint announcement.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-complaint-against-city-and-county-denver-colorado-challenging-mask