Supreme Court Declines Florida Suit Over Commercial Driver Licenses

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, declined to hear a lawsuit Florida filed against California and Washington over those states’ policies on issuing commercial truck driver’s licenses. The court’s brief order, issued without comment, left Florida’s case effectively over. The dispute centered on whether Florida could directly sue other states in the Supreme Court over immigration-related licensing policies.

Florida brought the case after a fatal crash in the state last year involving a truck driver, Harjinder Singh. Florida alleged Singh was an undocumented immigrant and had obtained commercial driver’s licenses in California and Washington.

The state argued that the two states’ policies amounted to “open defiance” of federal immigration laws and created safety risks. Florida said the policies could allow drivers to obtain licenses without proper training or adequate language skills, then operate across state lines.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed the claim directly with the Supreme Court, a rare procedural route for disputes between states. The Supreme Court has authority to take such cases, but it rarely does so.

Justices Thomas and Alito dissent

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the court’s decision not to take up the case. Thomas wrote that Florida had no other venue to pursue its claims.

Lawyers for California and Washington argued the lawsuit did not provide a basis for the Supreme Court to intervene. Washington Attorney General Nicholas Brown called the suit a “political stunt,” according to court filings.

Broader dispute over immigration and licensing

Iowa and 16 other states filed briefs supporting Florida. The case added to a broader political fight over immigration policy and how states apply licensing rules for commercial drivers.

The Supreme Court’s decision leaves the challenged state policies in place and signals that similar disputes may face steep procedural hurdles if brought directly to the justices.