Thomas, Alito Dissent as Supreme Court Blocks Florida From Suing California

Published May 26, 2026

By Andrew Stanton and Jason Lemon

Newsweek is a Trust Project member

Justice Clarence Thomas issued a dissenting opinion joined by fellow Justice Samuel Alito as the Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out a Florida lawsuit against California over allegedly issuing commercial truck driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants.

Florida launched the lawsuit after a car crash that drew national attention in the state last year, when three people died in an accident involving a truck driven by an Indian man, Harjinder Singh. The state said Singh did not have legal status in the United States, and alleged he was wrongly issued licenses in California and Washington. The truck driver is also facing criminal charges.

The dissent draws attention to a broader debate about federalism and state accountability. Florida’s lawsuit alleged that California and Washington issued commercial driver’s licenses to applicants who failed English‑proficiency requirements, raising questions about how states comply with federal safety standards. Thomas and Alito’s view that the Court must hear such cases could reshape how interstate disputes are handled in the future.

Newsweek reached out to the Florida and Washington attorneys general's offices and California's Justice Department for comment via email.


Supreme Court Tosses Florida Case

A majority of Supreme Court justices ultimately declined to grant Florida leave to file its complaint. Florida had filed a bill of complaint, a mechanism states use to sue one another directly in the Supreme Court. Justices did not provide an explanation for declining to grant Florida leave in the case.

The decision keeps California and Washington's licensing practices in place, but did not come without opposition on the bench. Thomas authored a dissenting opinion and was joined by Alito.

"This Court declines to even hear Florida’s claims, even though it has nowhere else to bring them. Because I would allow Florida to file its complaint, I respectfully dissent," Thomas wrote in his dissent, which came as part of an orders list released by the Supreme Court on Sunday.

Thomas wrote that the court has "exclusive jurisdiction" in this case and that he doubts the court "has discretion to refuse to hear cases within its exclusive original jurisdiction."

He said the court, nonetheless, has adopted a "discretionary approach to its exclusive original jurisdiction" based on policy judgments. But even under that approach, he said he believes the court should have granted Florida leave because it meets standards of "seriousness and dignity" as well as "availability of an alternative forum in which the issue tendered can be resolved."


Florida v. California and Washington: What To Know

The crash involving Singh occurred on August 12, 2025, on the Florida Turnpike. While driving on the highway, he approached a sign prohibiting U-turns but allegedly attempted a U-turn across the median anyway, according to court filings. During the U-turn, his trailer hit a minivan. All three passengers in the minivan died. He was arrested on charges of vehicular homicide.

Law enforcement learned he was unable to read signs and could not answer most questions on an English proficiency test administered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. He failed his test in both California and Washington but was still able to obtain a commercial driver's license.


Trump Administration Targets 'Dangerous Foreign Drivers'

In February, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a rule aimed at preventing foreign drivers from obtaining licenses to drive commercial trucks and buses. The department said at least 17 fatal crashes in 2025 were caused by "non-domiciled drivers who will now be ineligible to get a license."

“For far too long, America has allowed dangerous foreign drivers to abuse our truck licensing systems – wreaking havoc on our roadways. This safety loophole ends today,” Duffy said.

He said that "unqualified foreign drivers" will no longer be able to obtain a license to operate 80,000-pound big rigs. Under the rule, foreign drivers who have not undergone consular and interagency screening will be unable to obtain a CDL.

"From enforcing English language standards to holding fraudulent carriers accountable, we will continue to attack this crisis on our roads head on," he said.