A federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit against four New Jersey sanctuary cities, ruling that the Justice Department's claims were not sufficient to establish standing. U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin stated that the local policies challenged in the lawsuit align with a statewide immigration directive, indicating that a court victory would not resolve the federal government's issues with local cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Judge Padin noted that the federal government's case had a fundamental flaw, as it treated the challenged policies as operating in isolation. She explained that New Jersey's Immigrant Trust Directive, which limits voluntary cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, is a statewide directive that mirrors the local policies in question.
The lawsuit, filed in May 2025, argued that the sanctuary policies of Newark, Hoboken, Jersey City, and Paterson violated the Constitution's Supremacy Clause by obstructing federal immigration enforcement. The cities have maintained that their policies foster community trust and allow local law enforcement to focus on state and local crime.
Judge Padin did not rule on the constitutionality of the sanctuary policies but concluded that the federal government lacked standing because the statewide directive independently imposes similar restrictions. She stated that even if the court were to strike down the cities' policies, many of the same restrictions would remain in place due to the statewide directive.
The judge dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice, allowing the administration the option to bring the case again if it can address the standing issue. The Justice Department did not provide a comment on the ruling.