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

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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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