The Department of Justice sued Maryland, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County over what the Justice Department calls unconstitutional attempts to prevent federal officers from wearing masks.
DOJ filed the lawsuit Thursday, as a Maryland law went into effect requiring the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission to develop a policy “prohibiting the use of a face covering in the performance of duty.”
The laws are “illegal attempts to regulate the federal government” and threaten officers’ safety as they face violence, threats and doxxing, the Justice Department said in a statement.
“These Maryland state and local laws are a direct regulation of federal law enforcement operations and threaten severe consequences for officers and public safety alike,” Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate said in the statement. “The Federal Government, not state and local governments, gets to decide which equipment federal officers may or may not wear when performing their official duties.”
Attorney General Anthony Brown and the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission also are plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
DOJ said it also has sued over “illegal policies designed to thwart federal law” in places including Virginia, New York and California.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
News4 sends breaking news stories by email. Go here to sign up to get breaking news alerts in your inbox.
The former Olympian accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool in a case championed by President Donald Trump has officially had his case dismissed. In a scathing order, a Superior Court judge blasted the government’s actions.
