We’ve been saying it for years — California doesn’t actually care about the law, they care about virtue signaling. And this week, a federal appeals court proved it in the most satisfying way possible. The state spent God knows how many taxpayer dollars drafting, debating, and defending a shiny new law designed to obstruct ICE from doing its job — and a court just threw the whole thing in the garbage. Chef’s kiss.
The best part? The court’s reasoning was so straightforward that it makes you wonder whether Sacramento even bothered to run this thing past a first-year law student before they signed it. Seriously. The legal analysis here wasn’t some complicated constitutional chess match. It was more like a judge reading the Supremacy Clause out loud and saying, “Yeah, you can’t do that.” Federal law preempts state law. That’s not a hot take — that’s literally day one of law school. But apparently Gavin Newsom’s crack legal team was out getting oat milk lattes when they covered that chapter.
Here’s what happened. California — because California can never just leave things alone — decided to pass a law that would essentially make it illegal for local officials to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. We’re not talking about some subtle policy tweak. This was a deliberate, in-your-face attempt to build a wall between ICE agents and the illegal immigrants they’re trying to deport. Ironic, right? California hates walls — unless the wall is protecting people who broke the law to get here.
The state’s argument boiled down to: “We have a right to set our own immigration priorities.” Which is a fascinating legal theory if you completely ignore the United States Constitution. Immigration is a federal responsibility. It has been since the founding of the republic. Every state knows this. California knows this. They just don’t care because opposing Trump is more important to them than following the law.
So ICE and the federal government challenged the law, and the appeals court did what any court with a functioning understanding of American civics would do — they struck it down. The ruling essentially said that states don’t get to create their own shadow immigration policy that directly conflicts with federal enforcement. You know, because that’s how the country works.
And let’s talk about what this law was actually designed to protect. Not American citizens. Not legal immigrants who did things the right way. Not the communities terrorized by criminal illegal aliens. No — this law was designed to make it harder to deport people who are in the country illegally. That was the entire point. California looked at federal agents trying to enforce federal law and said, “Not in our state, pal.”
Newsom, of course, acted like this was some noble stand for human rights. Because that’s what he does. Every policy failure gets rebranded as moral courage. The homelessness crisis? That’s “compassion.” The crime wave? That’s “criminal justice reform.” And obstructing immigration enforcement? That’s “protecting immigrant communities.” The man could set his own house on fire and call it “progressive heating policy.”
But here’s the thing that should make every taxpayer in California absolutely furious — and honestly, the rest of us too, because federal courts aren’t free. The state spent real money on this. They paid lawyers to draft this law. They paid more lawyers to defend it. They used up court resources and judicial time on a legal argument that any competent attorney could have told them was doomed from the start. All so Newsom could get a press conference and a pat on the back from MSNBC.
This is what happens when politicians care more about headlines than outcomes. They didn’t write this law because they thought it would survive legal challenge. They wrote it because they knew the fight itself would play well on cable news. “California stands up to Trump!” Great. And then a court stands up to California, and the taxpayers are left holding the bill for another pointless political stunt.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement continues to roll forward. ICE is doing its job. Deportation flights are happening. And despite every obstacle that sanctuary states try to throw in the way, the federal government keeps winning in court. Because — and I cannot stress this enough — the law is on their side.
California will probably try again. They always do. They’ll draft another law, find another angle, waste another pile of money. And another court will strike it down, because the Constitution hasn’t changed since the last time they tried this.
But for today? We get to enjoy this one. A federal court just looked at California’s latest attempt to protect illegal aliens from the consequences of breaking the law, and said the two most beautiful words in the English language: “Motion denied.”
Newsom’s legal team is now 0-for-however-many-times-they’ve-tried-this. At some point, even California has to get tired of losing. But I wouldn’t bet on it.