{"id":2606964,"date":"2026-05-26T13:29:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T17:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thomas-alito-blast-scotus-for-ducking-case-on-illegal-alien-truck-drivers-causing-fatal-accidents\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T13:31:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T17:31:30","slug":"thomas-alito-blast-scotus-for-ducking-case-on-illegal-alien-truck-drivers-causing-fatal-accidents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thomas-alito-blast-scotus-for-ducking-case-on-illegal-alien-truck-drivers-causing-fatal-accidents\/","title":{"rendered":"Thomas Blasts SCOTUS For Ducking Illegal-Alien Truckers Case"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthomas-alito-blast-scotus-for-ducking-case-on-illegal-alien-truck-drivers-causing-fatal-accidents%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2606964&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito criticized teh Supreme Court for refusing to take up an interstate dispute brought by Florida. the case centers on Florida\u2019s claim that California and Washington are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cdc-exposed-inflated-covid-deaths-by-1600-throughout-the-election-violated-multiple-federal-laws-peer-reviewed-study-findsstate-local-governments-must-act\/\" title=\"CDC Exposed: Inflated Covid Deaths By 1600% Throughout The Election, \u201cViolated Multiple Federal Laws\u201d Peer-Reviewed Study Finds\u2026State, Local Governments Must Act\">violating federal law<\/a> by issuing commercial driver\u2019s licenses to illegal aliens who cannot read or speak English-an alleged practice Thomas says is contributing to fatal road accidents.<\/p>\n<p>Florida had asked the Court to allow it to file its complaint under the Supreme Court\u2019s constitutional authority for disputes between states, citing Article III\u2019s \u201coriginal Jurisdiction.\u201d Thomas argued the Court shouldn\u2019t duck its responsibility, noting Congress made original jurisdiction \u201cexclusive\u201d for controversies between states and that there\u2019s no statute providing for discretionary refusal in these situations. He also pointed to specific crash incidents, including a Florida Turnpike tragedy, as evidence of the real-world consequences.<\/p>\n<p>the Court declined to hear the matter during its upcoming 2026 term, and Thomas said the justices effectively left Florida with no other forum, prompting his dissent.Only Thomas and Alito would have granted Florida\u2019s motion.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito blasted their Supreme Court colleagues on Monday for ducking a pivotal interstate dispute over issuing commercial driver\u2019s licenses (CDLs) to illegal aliens who can\u2019t read or speak English. <\/p>\n<p>The verbal smackdown came about in the high court\u2019s most recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/orders\/courtorders\/052626zor_6j36.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">order list<\/a>, in which the justices disclosed which cases they will not be taking up and hearing arguments in during its upcoming 2026 term. Among the rejected cases was <em>Florida v. California and Washington<\/em>, in which Florida sought to file a lawsuit against California and Washington \u201cfor defying federal law by providing commercial driver\u2019s licenses to illegal aliens who cannot read English,\u201d as summarized by Thomas. <\/p>\n<p>In its October 2025 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/DocketPDF\/22\/22O162\/379756\/20251015210202370_Florida%20v.%20California%20-%20Bill%20of%20Complaint_10.15%20File%20Ready.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">filing<\/a>, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier asked the high court to greenlight and consider his state\u2019s legal complaint against the aforementioned Democrat-run states over the contested policy. He noted that Florida\u2019s \u201cserious and dignified\u201d claims \u201carise under the United States Constitution,\u201d and that \u201cthere is no alternative forum to provide adequate relief.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/constitution.congress.gov\/constitution\/article-3\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Article III<\/a> of the U.S. Constitution notably grants the Supreme Court \u201coriginal Jurisdiction\u201d \u201cIn all Cases \u2026 in which a State shall be Party.\u201d And yet, seven of the current court\u2019s justices declined to take up and address the matter. <\/p>\n<p>Writing in dissent on behalf of himself and Alito, Thomas blasted the high court for shirking its constitutional responsibility to handle disputes between the states. He additionally highlighted the \u201cdisturbing phenomenon\u201d alleged by Florida: that the practice of states issuing CDLs to illegals who aren\u2019t proficient in English is \u201ccausing fatal accidents on the road.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The deadly consequences stemming from states issuing CDLs to non-English speaking or reading illegal aliens have garnered <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/cdl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nationwide attention<\/a> in recent months. As The Federalist previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/25\/scotus-case-makes-freight-brokers-responsible-for-crashes-caused-by-commercial-immigrant-drivers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, the Department of Transportation said that \u201c[t]hirty people <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/dot-closes-major-commercial-trucking-loophole-blamed-illegal-immigrants-causing-fatal-crashes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">died<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-case-makes-freight-brokers-responsible-for-crashes-caused-by-commercial-immigrant-drivers\/\" title=\"SCOTUS Case Makes Brokers Responsible For Crashes\">17 semi-truck crashes caused<\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >noncitizen commercial truck drivers<\/a> in 2025\u201d alone, with those figures likely being \u201can undercount.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In his dissent, Thomas highlighted one of these tragedies stemming from the Sunshine State, in which a CDL-licensed Indian national \u201ccrashed a tractor-trailer into a minivan on the Florida Turnpike,\u201d leaving three dead. As noted by the justice, law enforcement later discovered that the illegal alien \u201clikely could not read the road signs\u201d due to his inability to comprehend basic English \u2014 circumstances in which federal law bars states from issuing CDLs.<\/p>\n<p>Turning to the jurisdictional issue, Thomas cited the Constitution, which gives the Supreme Court \u201cexclusive original jurisdiction over Florida\u2019s suit because it involves one State suing other States.\u201d He further noted how Congress has made the court\u2019s \u201coriginal jurisdiction \u2018exclusive\u2019 in \u2018all controversies between two or more States\u2019\u201d and expressed \u201cdoubt [that] this Court has discretion to refuse to hear cases within its exclusive original jurisdiction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe only statute addressing this Court\u2019s jurisdiction over these kinds of cases nowhere contemplates a process of discretionary review,\u201d Thomas wrote. \u201cNonetheless, this Court has adopted a discretionary approach to its exclusive original jurisdiction based on \u2018policy judgments that are in conflict with the policy choices that Congress made in the statutory text specifying the Court\u2019s original jurisdiction.\u2019 \u2026 Thus, both JUSTICE ALITO and I have repeatedly called for revisiting the Court\u2019s precedents in this area.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas concluded his assessment that the Supreme Court \u201clikely should have granted\u201d Florida\u2019s request to file its legal motion even under this \u201cdiscretionary approach.\u201d Addressing the factors SCOTUS uses when weighing such matters, the Bush 41 appointee underscored that the court\u2019s existing standards and the jurisdictional issue favor the Sunshine State. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis Court declines to even hear Florida\u2019s claims, even though it has nowhere else to bring them. Because I would allow Florida to file its complaint, I respectfully dissent,\u201d Thomas wrote. <\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">SCOTUS denies Florida\u2019s motion for leave to file a complaint against California and Washington for providing CDL\u2019s to non-English speaking illegal aliens. Only Justices Thomas and Alito would have granted the motion. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QZ8IixDZLR\">pic.twitter.com\/QZ8IixDZLR<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Shawn Fleetwood (@ShawnFleetwood) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\/status\/2059269434045235463?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 26, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<hr>\n<p>      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Justices Thomas and Alito criticize SCOTUS for skipping a CDL case<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2606965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CDL.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[33009,34319,6994,10215,19164],"class_list":["post-2606964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-illegal-immigration","tag-legal-battles","tag-scotus","tag-thomas","tag-truckers"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CDL.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2606964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2606964"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2606964\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2606968,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2606964\/revisions\/2606968"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2606965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2606964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2606964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2606964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}