The Supreme Court declined to hear Florida’s challenge to California and Washington over their policies allowing commercial driver’s licenses to be issued to individuals in the country illegally, effectively blocking what Florida described as an effort to hold the states accountable after a deadly highway crash that became a national flashpoint on immigration and public safety.
The decision leaves the states’ licensing systems in place and marks a setback for Florida’s attempt to force federal judicial review of the issue.
The case centers on a fatal Florida highway crash in which three people were killed when a tractor-trailer driver attempted an illegal U-turn.
The driver, Harjinder Singh, is facing criminal charges and has pleaded not guilty. Authorities say he previously held commercial driver’s licenses issued by both Washington and California.
Florida sought to bring the case directly before the Supreme Court, arguing that California and Washington’s licensing policies allowed individuals without lawful immigration status—and, in some cases, limited English proficiency—to operate heavy commercial vehicles on U.S. highways, raising serious public safety concerns tied to interstate trucking.
California and Washington rejected the claims and called the lawsuit a “political stunt,” arguing that federal regulators—not the Supreme Court—are responsible for enforcing commercial driver licensing standards.
Washington Attorney General Nicholas Brown warned that allowing the case to proceed would open the door to states suing one another over a wide range of policy disputes.
“Can States bring nuisance claims against each other in this Court alleging that lax vaccination policies or firearm restrictions in one state are causing harm in another?” Brown wrote in court filings, urging the justices to reject Florida’s case, USA Today reported.
The Court’s decision not to hear the case leaves California and Washington’s licensing practices in place and effectively shuts down Florida’s attempt to use the Court’s original jurisdiction to force review of interstate licensing standards.
The majority gave no explanation for declining the case.
Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented, saying the Court should have taken up the dispute and warning that Florida was left without any other legal forum to pursue its claims, Newsweek reported.
“This Court declines to even hear Florida’s claims, even though it has nowhere else to bring them,” Thomas wrote in dissent. “Because I would allow Florida to file its complaint, I respectfully dissent.”
Thomas argued that federal law sets strict requirements for commercial drivers, including English proficiency and lawful immigration status, and warned that failures in enforcement create serious risks on American highways.
“An illegal alien who cannot read English road signs cannot drive an 80,000-pound tractor-trailer,” Thomas wrote, according to Fox News.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said the case was about preventing states from adopting licensing policies that have consequences far beyond their borders, given that commercial trucking operates across state lines and affects national roadway safety.
“California’s and Washington’s decisions to endanger their own citizens is reprehensible,” Uthmeier said in filings.
The dispute reflects a broader national fight over immigration enforcement and transportation safety standards, with Republican officials pointing to what they describe as gaps in state compliance and enforcement, while Democratic-led states defend their licensing systems as lawful and properly administered, ABC News noted.
Federal transportation officials have recently moved to tighten restrictions on non-citizens applying for commercial driver’s licenses following multiple fatal crashes involving commercial trucks, signaling growing scrutiny of state-level licensing practices.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has also pushed stricter eligibility rules and warned states that federal funding could be tied to compliance with updated standards, as the administration emphasizes restoring integrity to the trucking industry.
