Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a blockbuster lawsuit against the State of California and the State of Washington directly in the U.S. Supreme Court, challenging their state “sanctuary” laws for allegedly undermining federal commercial driver’s license (CDL) safety standards.
The suit, filed under the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction over disputes between states, claims the defendants’ policies are creating a public nuisance and resulting in dangerous, unqualified commercial drivers on Florida’s roads, citing a recent deadly crash as proof.
Central Allegations: Safety and Sovereignty
The core of Florida’s complaint is that California and Washington’s “sanctuary laws”—specifically the California Values Act and the Keep Washington Working Act—illegally prohibit their state agencies, including Departments of Motor Vehicle/Licensing, from inquiring into the immigration status of CDL applicants.
Federal law, governed by the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act, requires proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency for a standard CDL.
Florida argues that by bypassing these federally mandated requirements, the two states are issuing CDLs to unqualified illegal immigrants who may lack the necessary safety knowledge, including the ability to read and speak English, a critical federal safety standard.
The complaint states that this is not just a federal-versus-state issue but a direct threat to the safety and sovereignty of other states, which must bear the consequences of these lax standards.
Fatal Florida Crash Catalyzes Lawsuit
A recent, fatal crash in Florida is central to the legal action. The complaint details an incident “just a few weeks ago” where an illegal immigrant, licensed by both Washington and California, attempted a reckless U-turn across a busy Florida highway in an 18-wheeler, resulting in three fatalities. RELATED: Deadly Florida U-Turn: Trucker Charged With Vehicular Homicide, Now Under ICE Detainer
According to the filing, state and federal investigations revealed the driver could not speak or read English, failed an English proficiency test, and could only identify one of four traffic signs. The driver had reportedly been issued a Washington CDL after 13 failed examinations, and a non-domiciled CDL by California the following year—despite federal regulations designed to prevent such issuances.
Florida claims it is now forced to spend millions on increased inspections at state entry points and other preventative measures to protect its citizens from dangerous, improperly licensed drivers licensed by the defendant states. The state argues this imposes significant, unwarranted economic and safety burdens.
Legal Claims: Preemption and Public Nuisance
Florida’s suit presents two main legal counts:
- Declaratory Judgment & Injunctive Relief (Preemption): Florida argues that the sanctuary laws are preempted by federal law under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. It contends that the states’ laws are “less stringent” than federal CDL standards and stand as an “obstacle” to the federal goal of ensuring minimum safety for commercial vehicles.
- Declaratory Judgment & Injunctive Relief (Public Nuisance): The state asserts that the negligent and willful disregard of federal standards by California and Washington constitutes an actionable public nuisance. It claims that issuing CDLs to unqualified individuals “creates a condition which makes travel unsafe” on public roads across the country.
Florida is asking the Supreme Court to declare the sanctuary laws preempted and to issue an injunction ordering California and Washington to cease the issuance of CDLs and Commercial Learner’s Permits to applicants who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. RELATED: Oklahoma Op Nets 120 Illegal Immigrant Arrests, 91 Commercial Truck Drivers With CDLs
The lawsuit highlights the escalating interstate conflicts fueled by state-level immigration policies, pitting Florida’s conservative, immigration-enforcement stance against the sanctuary policies of the two liberal-leaning western states.
With the Supreme Court having exclusive original jurisdiction in disputes between states, this case is poised to set a significant precedent on the balance of federal and state authority regarding immigration and interstate commerce.
READ: Florida, Tennessee Senators Rip ‘Attacks’ On Federal Law Enforcement In Illinois
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