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Supreme Court rejects Florida's bid to sue California, Washington over truck licenses for immigrants

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from Tuesday's order

WFTS

By: Associated Press

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WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Florida's long-shot attempt to sue California and Washington state over the issuance of commercial driver licenses to truckers who don't speak English and are not authorized to be in the United States.

The case stems from a crash in St. Lucie County last year that killed three people. The driver, Harjinder Singh, is accused of making an illegal U-turn on Florida's Turnpike that caused the wreck.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Harjinder Singh held without bond

Driver in fatal Turnpike crash held without bond in St. Lucie County

Singh, who is from India, was carrying a valid commercial driver's license from California and had earlier been granted one by Washington state.

Republican-led Florida has accused the Western states, led by Democrats, of openly defying immigration laws and asked the justices to rule that states lack the authority to issue CDLs to people who are not citizens or legal permanent residents.

The Supreme Court typically hears appeals of lower-court decisions, but it sometimes takes on what are known as original lawsuits in which states sue each other in the nation's highest court.

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from Tuesday's order, as they often do when the court rejects an original lawsuit, saying that the court has no choice but to hear 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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