Court Rejects DOJ Challenge to Sanctuary Policies in New Jersey Cities

Anti-ICE protesters take to the streets during clashes with law enforcement outside the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, N.J., on May 30, 2026. Angelina Katsanis/AP Photo

A federal judge dismissed on Wednesday the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit challenging sanctuary policies in four New Jersey cities, ruling the federal government lacked standing to bring the case because the alleged harms would remain even if the cities’ policies were struck down.

U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin said New Jersey’s statewide Immigrant Trust Directive independently governs law enforcement agencies across the state by limiting voluntary cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement. Because that directive was not challenged in the lawsuit, the judge concluded the federal government’s alleged injuries would continue regardless of what happened to the municipal policies.