The U.S. Supreme Court threw out Florida’s attempt to sue California and Washington over commercial truck driver’s licenses it says were wrongly issued to undocumented immigrants. The case was tied to a deadly Florida crash involving a driver accused of lackin
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court shut the door on Florida’s plan to take its fight over commercial truck licenses to the highest level.
Florida had asked the justices to let the state sue California and Washington over licenses Florida claimed were issued to people who entered the country illegally. The challenge was linked to a crash in Florida last year involving a truck driven by Harjinder Singh. a man Florida says did not have legal status in the United States. The accident left three people dead. Singh now faces criminal charges tied to the incident.
The Supreme Court dismissed the case at an early stage, denying Florida’s appeal without comment.
That refusal meant Florida’s argument—built around allegations that other states’ immigration enforcement choices were undermining federal safety rules—never reached the merits in the way Florida had hoped.
In a separate opinion, Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that he would have heard the case. He was joined by fellow conservative Justice Samuel Alito. Thomas said the court declined “to even hear Florida’s claims, even though it has nowhere else to bring them.”
Florida’s lawsuit arrived in an unusual way. Instead of filing in a lower court—state or federal—Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. a Republican. filed directly with the Supreme Court. Florida’s request rested on the idea that the court can sometimes step in when disputes arise between states. though it rarely does.
The state’s allegations were broad. Florida said the Democratic-led states’ “open defiance” of federal immigration laws caused them to flout federal safety regulations. In Florida’s telling. that allowed drivers to obtain licenses without “proper training or the ability to read road signs.” The lawsuit argued those drivers then cross state lines and threaten safety in Florida and other states.
Iowa joined the effort, along with 16 other states, in filing a brief backing Florida.
California and Washington pushed back on whether the Supreme Court should take up the dispute at all. Lawyers for the states argued there was no basis for the court to intervene.
Washington Attorney General Nicholas Brown’s brief described the case as a “political stunt, not a real claim.” Brown pointed to the fact that Uthmeier announced his intention to file during an appearance on conservative Fox News host Sean Hannity’s show.
Uthmeier’s political posture has been a factor in how Florida’s move was received. He has frequently leaned into divisive conservative causes, and the lawsuit fit into a wider push tied to illegal immigration. Uthmeier is running for a full term after being appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last year.
The Supreme Court action comes as illegal immigration has become a live political fault line following the crash. After the incident. the Trump administration threatened to cut off federal funds from California. Washington and New Mexico unless those states implemented English language requirements for commercial drivers.
For Florida, the crash involving Singh became more than a criminal case. It became a broader dispute over who should be allowed to obtain the licenses needed for the job—and where accountability should be enforced. For the Supreme Court. Florida’s path ended abruptly: the justices declined to hear the claims. leaving Florida’s version of events unresolved at the national level.
Supreme Court Florida lawsuit California Washington driver’s licenses undocumented immigrants commercial truck drivers Harjinder Singh James Uthmeier Clarence Thomas Samuel Alito