Supreme Court tosses Florida’s lawsuit over triple fatality Turnpike crash

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit filed by the state of Florida against California and Washington after a  high-profile triple fatality crash that occurred on the Florida Turnpike in August 2025.

On Tuesday, May 26, the Supreme Court threw out a lawsuit filed by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier alleging that California and Washington put Florida drivers at risk by providing commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to non-citizens who did not have sufficient English language proficiency to operate safely in accordance with federal regulations.

We are taking California to the US Supreme Court. pic.twitter.com/NeskDIW5fb

— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) October 16, 2025

The lawsuit was filed in reaction to an August 12 crash on the Florida Turnpike during which truck driver Harjinder Singh allegedly attempted to execute a U-Turn in an unauthorized location, causing a minivan to crash into the truck’s trailer. All three people in the minivan were killed in the crash.

The lawsuit accused California and Washington of creating a public nuisance by failing to adequately check CDL holders for English proficiency and by ignoring federal licensing standards.

“Federal law requires that States issuing CDLs abide by relevant safety and immigration status standards. California and Washington, however, chose to ignore these standards and authorize illegal immigrants without proper training or the ability to read road signs to drive commercial motor vehicles. California’s and Washington’s decision to endanger their own citizens is reprehensible. But commercial drivers routinely cross state lines, endangering citizens of other States,” Uthmier wrote. “The result is mayhem in other States —States that choose to follow federal law and enforce CDL safety standards.”

The Court ultimately sided with Washington State Attorney General Nicholas Brown, who questioned whether states should be allowed of file nuisance suits against one another.

“Can States bring nuisance claims against each other in this Court alleging that lax vaccination policies or firearm restrictions in one state are causing harm in another? The Court should not open that door,” Brown wrote.

In a dissenting opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote, “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.”