Overview
- The Supreme Court on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, rebuffed Florida's request to file an original-state lawsuit against California and Washington over their issuance of commercial driver's licenses to people not authorized to be in the U.S.
- Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented, arguing the Court should hear the dispute because Florida has no other clear forum to raise claims that other states violated federal law on licensing.
- The legal fight traces to an August crash in Florida that killed three people and involved a driver, Harjinder Singh, who held CDLs from Washington and California and has pleaded not guilty; his criminal case is still pending.
- Separately, a federal appeals court recently blocked a Trump administration proposal that would have restricted which immigrants can obtain CDLs, leaving regulatory changes tied up in litigation.
- The ruling hands responsibility for resolving licensing and safety questions back to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, lower courts, and state processes and raises political and practical stakes for truckers from immigrant communities who say broad restrictions would hit them hardest.