A judge dismisses a DOJ lawsuit contesting a New York statute that prohibits immigration officials from appearing in state courts.

Speaking outside the US District Court on Friday, October 24, 2025, in Norfolk, Virginia, New York Attorney General Letitia James entered a not guilty plea.

ALBANY, N.Y. — A judge ruled that the federal government cannot compel states to assist with enforcement actions, dismissing a Trump administration legal challenge to New York regulations that prohibit immigration authorities from making arrests at state courthouses.

Late on Monday, U.S. District Judge Mae D'Agostino denied New York's request to have the government's case dismissed. This is just one of the Republican administration's several legal lawsuits that attack municipal and state immigration enforcement measures.

A 2020 state law that prohibits federal immigration officers from making arrests of individuals entering and leaving New York courthouses or appearing in court without a judge-signed warrant was contested in the lawsuit. In reaction to enforcement activities in courthouses during President Donald Trump's first term, the Protect Our Courts Act was passed. Federal immigration courts are not covered by the law.

The New York bill and two associated state executive orders, according to the Department of Justice's lawsuit, were illegal because they prevented federal immigration agents from carrying out their duties.

However, D'Agostino concluded that the 10th Amendment, which places restrictions on the federal government's authority, protects New York's choice to abstain from implementing civil immigration law.

Essentially, there is no federal legislation in the United States requiring state and local governments to usually support or comply with federal immigration enforcement actions. The judge wrote, "Nor could it." The Tenth Amendment forbids Congress from requiring state and local officials and resources to support federal regulatory programs, such as immigration enforcement, hence there are no such federal legislation.

Letitia James, the Democratic attorney general of New York, stated that she was defending the "dignity and rights of immigrant communities" as her office advocated for the lawsuit's dismissal.

James declared in a statement that "everyone deserves to seek justice without fear." "Anyone can use New York's state courts without being targeted by federal authorities thanks to this ruling."