Judge throws out Trump challenge to NJ sanctuary city policies

⚖️ A federal judge dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit challenging sanctuary policies in four New Jersey cities.
🏛️ The ruling leaves local sanctuary ordinances in Newark, Jersey City, Hoboken and Paterson in place—for now.
📋 Jersey City Mayor James Solomon praised the decision, but the legal fight may not be over if the federal government appeals.

A federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration's legal challenge to sanctuary policies in four New Jersey cities, handing a victory to local officials who argued their ordinances are consistent with state law.

According to New Jersey Monitor, U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin ruled the Justice Department's lawsuit against Newark, Jersey City, Hoboken and Paterson could not move forward because it failed to account for New Jersey's statewide restrictions on local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

The lawsuit, filed by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2025, claimed the cities' sanctuary policies unlawfully interfered with federal immigration enforcement by limiting cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities.

Why the judge dismissed the sanctuary city lawsuit

In her ruling, Padin said the federal government's case suffered from a "fundamental flaw" because it treated the municipal ordinances as if they operated independently.

Instead, she found the cities' policies exist alongside New Jersey's statewide directive that limits how local law enforcement agencies may cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement beyond what federal law requires. Because that statewide policy would remain in effect regardless of the outcome of the lawsuit, the judge concluded the relief sought by the Justice Department would not resolve the alleged harm.

Jersey City mayor welcomes the decision

Jersey City Mayor James Solomon applauded the ruling in a statement.

"We will continue to do everything within our power to protect our neighbors and push back against the Trump Administration's abusive and cruel federal overreach," Solomon said in a statement.

Officials in the other cities have similarly defended their local policies, arguing they comply with state law while allowing police officers to focus on local public safety responsibilities rather than federal civil immigration enforcement.

Assemblyman Ravi Bhalla, the former mayor of Hoboken, said he was "proud to make Hoboken a Fair and Welcoming City."

"The inhumane incarceration of civilian detainees in Delaney Hall is a reminder that municipalities should adopt even stronger protections than the State," Bhalla said in a statement, "Now is the time to act and ensure we live up to our ideals of equal rights and due process under the law."

What happens next?

The decision means the sanctuary policies adopted by Newark, Jersey City, Hoboken and Paterson remain in effect unless overturned through further court action.

The Trump administration could appeal Judge Padin's ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Unless an appellate court reverses the decision, the lawsuit challenging the four cities' ordinances will not proceed.

The ruling does not alter New Jersey's statewide directive governing cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities, leaving the broader legal framework unchanged while any potential appeal plays out.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom