By
May 26, 2026 / 1:11 PM EDT
/ CBS News
Add CBS News on Google
Washington — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Florida's bid to file a lawsuit against Washington and California for allegedly providing commercial driver's licenses to truck drivers who are in the U.S. illegally and not proficient in English.Florida sought to sue the two states following a fatal crash on a state highway in August 2025 that occurred when truck driver Harjinder Singh, an Indian national who crossed into the U.S. from Mexico, attempted to make an illegal U-turn. State and federal investigations showed that Singh likely could not read the road signs. He faces criminal charges and has pleaded not guilty.The Department of Homeland Security and Florida officials said Singh had obtained commercial driver's licenses from California and Washington.In the long-shot bid for intervention by the Supreme Court, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier claimed California and Washington ignored federal safety standards and immigration law by allowing people in the U.S. illegally to drive commercial motor vehicles "without proper training or the ability to read road signs."He asked the high court to block the two states from issuing commercial driver's licenses to individuals who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, and who don't meet federal safety requirements. "California's and Washington's decision to endanger their own citizens is reprehensible. But commercial drivers routinely cross state lines, endangering citizens of other States," Uthmeier, a Republican, wrote, adding that those decisions lead to "mayhem" in other states.But officials from each of the two states rejected Florida's assertions. California Attorney General Rob Bonta told the Supreme Court in a filing that its Department of Motor Vehicles verifies legal presence using a federal database known as SAVE and tests for English proficiency, as required by state law.
