The Supreme Court has dismissed Florida’s attempt to sue California and Washington over their issuance of commercial driver’s licenses to non-English speaking truckers who are not legally authorized to be in the United States. The decision was delivered on Tuesday, marking an end to what many viewed as a long-shot legal endeavor by Florida.
The controversy originated from a tragic accident in Florida last year, resulting in three fatalities. The accused driver, Harjinder Singh from India, allegedly made an illegal U-turn, causing the deadly crash. Singh held a valid commercial driver’s license from California, having previously received one from Washington state as well.
Florida, under Republican leadership, argued that these Democratic-led states were in violation of immigration laws. The state sought a ruling from the justices to prevent states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses to individuals who are neither citizens nor lawful permanent residents.
While the Supreme Court generally reviews appeals from lower courts, it occasionally addresses original lawsuits, where states bring cases directly to the nation’s highest court against each other.
Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito voiced their dissent in Tuesday’s decision, consistent with their typical stance when the court opts not to hear an original lawsuit. They argued that the court is obligated to consider such cases.
Separately, a federal appeals court has blocked a Trump administration proposal to impose new restrictions that would severely limit which immigrants can get commercial driver’s licenses to drive a semitrailer truck or bus.
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