Overview
- U.S. District Judge Mae D’Agostino dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit targeting New York’s 2020 Protect Our Courts Act in a 41-page ruling.
- The decision rejects the DOJ’s Supremacy Clause claim and finds the state may define permissible activities in its courthouses under intergovernmental immunity.
- POCA bars civil immigration arrests of people traveling to, attending, or leaving state court proceedings unless agents have a judge-signed warrant.
- The ruling leaves New York’s restrictions in force, and reporting indicates the DOJ is preparing an appeal to the Second Circuit.
- New York Attorney General Letitia James praised the outcome as safeguarding access to state courts, as ICE has recently intensified courthouse operations.