Washington — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Florida’s bid to file a lawsuit against Washington and California for allegedly providing commercial driver’s licenses to truck drivers who are in the U.S. illegally and not proficient in English.
Florida sought to sue the two states following a fatal crash on a state highway in August 2025 that occurred when truck driver Harjinder Singh, an Indian national who crossed into the U.S. from Mexico, attempted to make an illegal U-turn. State and federal investigations showed 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 California and Washington.
In the long-shot bid for intervention by the Supreme Court, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier claimed California and Washington 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.”
He asked the high court to block the two states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses to individuals who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, and who don’t meet federal safety requirements.
“California’s and Washington’s decision to endanger their own citizens is reprehensible. But commercial drivers routinely cross state lines, endangering citizens of other States,” Uthmeier, a Republican, wrote, adding that those decisions lead to “mayhem” in other states.
But officials from each of the two states rejected Florida’s assertions. California Attorney General Rob Bonta told the Supreme Court in a filing that its Department of Motor Vehicles verifies legal presence using a federal database known as SAVE and tests for English proficiency, as required by state law.
As to Singh, California officials said the state’s DMV issued him a non-domiciled commercial driver’s license only after complying with federal and state regulations. They said he applied for the license in July 2024 and provided an employment authorization document, which was verified through the federal database.
“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, meanwhile, called Florida’s proposed lawsuit a “political stunt,” and noted that Uthmeier announced the lawsuit on Fox News. They claimed that Florida has improperly licensed “thousands” of commercial drivers without evidence they speak English or satisfy residency requirements.
Washington officials wrote that state law requires applicants for a commercial driver’s license to pass written knowledge tests and skills tests that meet federal standards, and requires applicants to reside in Washington or be otherwise federally qualified.
“This dispute is not about boundaries or water; it is about the wisdom of state policies,” they wrote. “Even setting that aside, Florida’s claims are meritless.”
They also said that Singh did not have a valid commercial driver’s license from Washington at the time of the 2025 crash in Florida.
Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito said they would have allowed Florida to sue the two states, reiterating their view that the Supreme Court cannot refuse to hear suits between states.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has taken steps to crack down on states that it says have issued commercial driver’s licenses to immigrant truck drivers and has sought to withhold federal funding to states that refuse to cancel licenses that it says were illegally issued.
President Trump signed an executive order in April 2025 that reinforces a federal law that requires commercial truck drivers to read and speak English proficiently.