SCOTUS Sides With Blue States, Rejects Florida Challenge Over Issuing Driver’s Licenses to Illegal Aliens
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Florida’s lawsuit against California and Washington over their issuance of commercial driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.
The case was brought by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier following a deadly crash in Florida last year involving commercial truck driver Harjinder Singh, an Indian national and illegal alien.
Three people died in the crash, with Singh facing an array of criminal charges, including vehicular homicide and immigration violations.
Florida alleged that California and Washington violated federal law and endangered public safety by issuing commercial licenses to individuals without legal immigration status, allowing them to drive across state lines.
Tonight, we filed a lawsuit against Gavin Newsom and California in the US Supreme Court because their so-called “sanctuary” policies for illegal aliens are harming states like Florida.
California must pay for the carnage of their open border policies and unlawful CDL programs. pic.twitter.com/iEauMlWXkY
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) October 16, 2025
The court declined to hear the case without comment.
Justice Clarence Thomas dissented, joined by fellow conservative Justice Samuel Alito.
“This court declines to even hear Florida’s claims, even though it has nowhere else to bring them,” Thomas wrote.
NEWS: Justices Thomas and Alito dissent after SCOTUS denies Florida’s complaint against California and Washington for issuing commercial licenses to immigrant truck drivers
Thomas calls for more intervention on original jurisdiction cases between states @CourthouseNews pic.twitter.com/Mj5iVeJqpB
— Kelsey Reichmann (@KelseyReichmann) May 26, 2026
Florida filed the case directly with the Supreme Court under its original jurisdiction for disputes between states, an avenue the court rarely accepts.
The lawsuit said the two Democratic-led states’ “open defiance” of federal immigration laws had led to violations of federal safety rules.
At least four Indian illegal alien truck drivers with CDLs have been arrested for allegedly causing deadly crashes that have killed multiple innocent people in different parts of the country.
Manvir Singh (CA)
Jashanpreet Singh (CA)
Harjinder Singh (FL)
Sukhdeep Singh (IN) pic.twitter.com/2ofd7QYSfp— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) May 21, 2026
Florida argued this resulted in drivers obtaining licenses without “proper training or the ability to read road signs,” creating risks for motorists in Florida and elsewhere.
Iowa and 16 other states filed briefs supporting Florida.
Washington Attorney General Nicholas Brown called the lawsuit a “political stunt, not a real claim.”
The legal challenge followed increased scrutiny over commercial licensing standards for non-citizen drivers after the Florida crash.
After the incident, the Trump administration threatened to withhold federal funding from California, Washington, and New Mexico unless they adopted English-language requirements for commercial truck drivers.
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