The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Florida's attempt to sue California and Washington, ending a long-shot bid by the state to hold its counterparts accountable for issuing commercial driver's licenses to truck drivers who are in the country illegally.
Florida filed the proposed lawsuit after a fatal crash in August 2025 on a state highway, when truck driver Harjinder Singh, an Indian national who entered the U.S. from Mexico, tried to make an illegal U-turn. Investigations by state and federal authorities indicated that Singh likely could not read the road signs. He faces criminal charges and has pleaded not guilty.
The Department of Homeland Security and Florida officials said Singh had obtained commercial driver's licenses from both California and Washington. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier argued that the two states ignored federal safety standards and immigration law by allowing people in the U.S. illegally to drive commercial motor vehicles "without proper training or the ability to read road signs."
Uthmeier asked the high court to block California and Washington from issuing such licenses to individuals who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents and who fail to meet federal safety requirements. "California's and Washington's decision to endanger their own citizens is reprehensible," he wrote. "But commercial drivers routinely cross state lines, endangering citizens of other States."
California Attorney General Rob Bonta pushed back in a filing with the court, stating that the state's Department of Motor Vehicles verifies legal presence using the federal SAVE database and tests for English proficiency as required by state law. Officials noted that Singh received a non-domiciled commercial driver's license in July 2024 after providing an employment authorization document that was verified through the federal system.
"The allegations in the proposed complaint are notably lacking, as Florida admits that it does not even know how California's commercial driver's license program works," Bonta said. "Its claims are based on assumptions about California law and practice that are wrong: DMV requires verification of legal presence and tests for English language proficiency before issuing commercial driver's licenses."
Washington officials dismissed the proposed lawsuit as a "political stunt," pointing out that Uthmeier announced it on Fox News. They countered that Florida has improperly licensed "thousands" of commercial drivers without evidence they speak English or meet residency requirements.
Washington state law requires applicants for commercial driver's licenses to pass written knowledge tests and skills tests that meet federal standards, and applicants must reside in the state or meet other federal qualifications, officials said. They added that Singh did not hold a valid commercial driver's license from Washington at the time of the 2025 crash in Florida.
"This dispute is not about boundaries or water; it is about the wisdom of state policies," Washington officials wrote. "Even setting that aside, Florida's claims are meritless."
Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito indicated they would have allowed Florida to proceed with the suit, consistent with their position that the Supreme Court should not refuse to hear cases between states.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has moved to address states issuing commercial driver's licenses to immigrant truck drivers, including efforts to withhold federal funding from states that do not cancel licenses deemed illegally issued. President Trump signed an executive order in April 2025 that reinforces federal requirements for commercial truck drivers to read and speak English proficiently.
The ruling leaves in place the existing practices in California and Washington while federal agencies continue their oversight of licensing programs across the country.