Professors Shaakirrah R. Sanders and Stanley Brand quoted by Philadelphia Inquirer

CARLISLE, Pa.—Penn State Dickinson Law professors were quoted in a Philadelphia Inquirer story titled “Unmasking ICE in Philly could test the limits of local power over federal agents.” The piece explored proposed legislation in Philly that would prevent officers from wearing face masks or using unmarked cars to conduct enforcement.

ICE officers have increasingly worn facial coverings during operations over the past year. The federal government claims the masking cuts down on potential doxxing, among other reasons. But critics say the masks present safety issues; the article notes several people in Philly have been arrested for impersonating ICE officers.

Distinguished Fellow in Law and Government Stanley Brand noted that if the Philadelphia City Council passed the bill, it could face challenges. “This ordinance will be a protracted and complicated legal slog,” he told the paper.

Later in the article, Professor Shaakirrah R. Sanders noted that the federal government could raise First Amendment concerns, and defending the ordinance could cost the council financially.

“It looks like the city wants to wield big legislative power,” Sanders told the paper. “My alternative is more in the grassroots work, where you are the first ear for your citizens, not the regulator of the federal government.”

You can read the full article by clicking here or here.

Professor Stanley M. Brand is the On-site Director of Dickinson Law’s Semester-in-Washington D.C. Program. With over thirty years of experience, Professor Brand offers students a particularly sharp insight into federal regulatory and legislative practice in Washington, D.C. He is the former General Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives and chief legal officer responsible for representing the House, its members, officers, and employees in connection with legal procedures and challenges to the conduct of their official activities; former Senior Counsel in Akin Gump’s litigation practice in Washington, D.C.; and Vice President, National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (the governing body of minor league baseball). He is a co-author, with Professor Lance Cole, of a casebook on Congressional Investigations. With over thirty years of experience, Professor Brand offers students a particularly sharp insight into federal regulatory and legislative practice in Washington, D.C.

Shaakirrah R. Sanders serves as Associate Dean for Antiracism and Critical Pedagogy, as Professor of Law, and as the Lewis H. Vovakis Distinguished Faculty Scholar. Prior to joining Penn State Dickinson Law as visiting professor of law in 2022, Professor Sanders was the first African-American descendant of slaves to achieve the rank of full professor at the University of Idaho and its College of Law. She teaches Constitutional Law, Criminal Procedure, and the First Amendment.