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The Supreme Court of the United States rejected this Tuesday the request from the state of Florida to file a direct lawsuit against California and Washington for allegedly issuing commercial driver's licenses to undocumented immigrant truck drivers who are not proficient in English, according to reported by CBS News.
The case was triggered by a fatal accident that occurred in August 2025 on the Florida Turnpike, in Fort Pierce, when truck driver Harjinder Singh, an Indian citizen who had entered the United States illegally from Mexico, made an illegal U-turn with his 18-wheeler truck.
The impact killed the three occupants of a minivan: Herby Dufresne, 30; Faniola Joseph, 37; and Rodrigue Dor, 54.
State and federal investigations determined that Singh likely could not read traffic signs. In a subsequent test, he answered only two out of twelve questions correctly and identified one out of four signs.
The Department of Homeland Security and Florida officials indicated that Singh had obtained commercial driver's licenses from California and Washington.
The Attorney General of Florida, James Uthmeier filed the lawsuit before the Supreme Court in October 2025 and requested that the court block both states from issuing business licenses to individuals who are not U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.
"The decision by California and Washington to put their own citizens in danger is reprehensible. However, commercial drivers routinely cross state lines, endangering the citizens of other states," Uthmeier wrote, adding that these decisions cause "chaos" in other states.
California and Washington rejected the accusations.
California's Attorney General, Rob Bonta, stated that his Department of Motor Vehicles verifies legal presence using the federal SAVE database and conducts English proficiency tests before issuing any business licenses.
"The allegations in the proposed lawsuit are notably deficient, as Florida admits that it doesn't even know how California's commercial driver's license program works," Bonta said.
Washington officials, for their part, described the lawsuit as a "political maneuver" and pointed out that Singh did not have a valid business license from that state at the time of the accident.
Additionally, they accused Florida of having improperly issued licenses to "thousands" of drivers without proof that they speak English or meet residency requirements.
Only Judges Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the majority decision, reiterating their position that the Supreme Court cannot refuse to hear direct disputes between states.
The ruling comes amidst a broader offensive by the Trump administration against states that issue business licenses to immigrants.
President Trump signed an executive order in April 2025 that strengthens the federal law requiring commercial truck drivers to read and speak English fluently, and the Department of Transportation threatened to withhold 160 million dollars in federal funds from California and 73 million from New York for noncompliance.
Florida, for its part, modified its own rules so that the driver's license exams will be available only in English starting February 6, 2026, while the debate over commercial licenses for immigrants remains ongoing in federal courts.
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