A federal court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration against New York state, concluding that the state is within its rights to implement a law preventing arrests at courthouses. The ruling emphasizes the state’s authority to enact measures safeguarding its own interests without excessive federal intrusion.

In a comprehensive 41-page decision released on Monday, U.S. District Judge Mae D’Agostino affirmed that New York has the right to maintain its sovereignty against unwarranted federal meddling. The judge’s ruling supports the state’s autonomy in these matters.

Back on June 12, the Trump administration had initiated legal action against New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James. The lawsuit challenged components of the state’s Protect Our Courts Act (POCA), a law from 2020 crafted to ensure that community members can access the justice system without fearing immigration repercussions. The legal action also targeted two executive orders from 2018, issued by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo, which restricted the state’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

These measures were put into place during Trump’s first term, a period marked by a dramatic 1,200% rise in immigration arrests at New York courthouses, as noted by Judge D’Agostino. Even following Trump’s return to office, the tension between state and federal authorities persisted, with continued attempts to apprehend suspected unauthorized immigrants at these venues.

The core issue was whether federal immigration laws overruled state legislation and executive orders. The Justice Department contended that federal law should take precedence, claiming that New York’s policies were unlawfully prejudiced against federal authority.

D’Agostino rubbished these claims.

“The Court agrees with Defendants that the United States’ preemption challenges to these Executive Orders fail because neither executive order conflicts with federal law,” the Barack Obama appointee wrote. She continued, at length:

“Fundamentally, the United States fails to identify any federal law mandating that state and local officials generally assist or cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts. Nor could it. No such federal laws exist because the Tenth Amendment prohibits Congress from conscripting state and local officials and resources to assist with federal regulatory schemes, like immigration enforcement. It may be, as the United States contends, that Congress had “the expectation of collaboration” between federal, state, and local authorities when it enacted the federal immigration laws. But a hope, however fervent, that federal-state cooperation will occur does not empower the federal government to conscript the States.”

As part of its discrimination claims, the Trump administration argued that New York had violated the intergovernmental immunity doctrine, a legal principle meant to ensure that state laws could not regulate or discriminate against the federal government. In her conclusion, D’Agostino ruled that just because the Trump administration wants New York to cooperate does not mean its desires hold more weight than the state’s.

“Where, as here, the Tenth Amendment permits a state to decline to assist with federal immigration efforts, that state’s determination that its interests are best served by not permitting its resources to be conscripted for federal immigration enforcement cannot be invalidated merely by recasting that otherwise permissible choice under the intergovernmental immunity lens,” she wrote. “To hold to the contrary would improperly elevate the concerns of the federal sovereign over that of a State and deprive New York of its essential ability to protect its sovereign interests in the face of undue federal interference.”

James celebrated the court’s decision on Tuesday, saying, “Everyone deserves to seek justice without fear.”

“This ruling ensures that anyone can use New York’s state courts without being targeted by federal authorities,” she continued. “My office will continue fighting to defend the dignity and rights of immigrant communities throughout New York.”