On Tuesday, the Supreme Court declined to hear a lawsuit by the State of Florida seeking to sue the states of California and Washington over their issuance of Commercial Driver's Licenses (CDLs) to illegal aliens. Florida had taken the unusual step of filing directly with the Supreme Court, and the Court doesn't often decide to hear such original actions.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out a long-shot lawsuit in which Florida sought to sue California and Washington for allegedly allowing people who entered the country illegally to obtain commercial truck driver’s licenses.
Florida's claim was filed in the aftermath of a high-profile crash in the state last year in which a truck driven by an Indian man, Harjinder Singh, was involved in an accident that left three people dead. The state, which says Singh did not have legal status in the United States, alleges he was wrongly issued licenses in both California and Washington. Singh faces criminal charges over the incident.
The court denied the state’s appeal without comment.
Justices Thomas and Alito both indicated they would have heard the case, even though a state seeking leave to pursue a claim directly to SCOTUS like this is an unusual tactic. Florida was, however, supported by 17 other states.
The unusual case saw Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, a Republican, file a claim directly at the Supreme Court instead of a lower state or federal court. The court can sometimes intervene in such disputes between states, but it rarely does so.
The lawsuit alleged that the Democratic-led states’ "open defiance" of federal immigration laws has led them to flout federal safety regulations. This has resulted in drivers obtaining licenses without "proper training or the ability to read road signs." Those drivers cross state lines and are therefore threatening the safety of people in Florida and other states, the lawsuit says. Iowa and 16 other states filed a brief backing Florida.
Lawyers for California and Washington argued in response that there was no basis for the Supreme Court to take up the issue.
The lawyers for California and Washington would seem to have prevailed, for now, but this issue isn't going away.
Read More: Another Blue State 'Finds Out' Trump Adm. Not Playing Around When It Comes to Foreign Truck Drivers
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SCOTUS's declining to hear this case will likely result in the issue being returned to where it really belongs: with Congress and the state legislatures. One would think that a federal law would be required here; while driver's licensing is a state matter, any driver's license, private or commercial, issued by any state is recognized by all states. Furthermore, the matter of commercial driver's licenses is actually a matter of interstate commerce; many CDL holders are engaged in over-the-road trucking, crossing state lines. Unlike many times in which Congress has invoked interstate commerce over the years, in this case, it would seem to actually apply. That would make federal legislation on the matter appropriate.
It is belaboring the obvious to note that this won't happen if Democrats gain control of the House, Senate, or both in this year's midterm elections.
Editor’s Note: We voted for mass deportations, not mass amnesty. Help us continue to fight back against those trying to go against the will of the American people.
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