Supreme Court Rejects Florida Bid to Sue California and Washington Over Commercial Truck Licenses

U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents. The case stems from an August 2025 crash on a Florida highway that killed three people. The driver, Harjinder Singh, an Indian national who entered the United States from Mexico, is accused of making an illegal U-turn.

Singh held a commercial driver's license from California and had earlier received one from Washington. State and federal investigations indicated he likely could not read road signs.

General James Uthmeier argued that California and Washington ignored federal safety standards and immigration law by issuing licenses without proper training or English proficiency. U.S. California Attorney General Rob Bonta told the court that the state's Department of Motor Vehicles verifies legal presence through the federal SAVE database and tests for English proficiency as required by state law.

Officials said Singh received a non-domiciled commercial driver's license in July 2024 after providing an employment authorization document that was verified through the database. Washington officials called the proposed lawsuit a political stunt and stated that Singh did not hold a valid Washington commercial driver's license at the time of the crash.

They said state law requires applicants to pass written and skills tests meeting federal standards and to reside in Washington or meet other federal qualifications.

The Supreme Court issued a one-sentence order denying Florida's motion. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito said they would have allowed the suit, maintaining that the court cannot refuse to hear cases between states. >"California's and Washington's decision to endanger their own citizens is reprehensible.

U.S. Department of Transportation has moved to withhold federal funding from states it says have issued commercial driver's licenses to immigrant truck drivers in violation of federal rules. President Trump signed an executive order in April 2025 reinforcing the federal requirement that commercial truck drivers read and speak English proficiently.