Federal Judge Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit Challenging New York’s Green Light Law

A federal judge has dismissed the U.S. Department of Justice’s legal challenge to New York’s 2019 Green Light Law, which allows immigrants to obtain state-issued driver’s licenses regardless of their legal status.

The Trump administration had criticized the law, arguing that it prevents federal immigration authorities from accessing information held by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) on immigrants without legal status. The law permits the DMV to issue standard driver’s licenses to individuals without Social Security numbers, irrespective of citizenship or lawful U.S. status.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, when filing the lawsuit earlier this year, claimed that the law “tips off an illegal alien” and is unconstitutional. However, U.S. District Judge Anne M. Nardacci of the Northern District of New York ruled on Tuesday that the plaintiff had failed to show that any provision of the Green Light Law unlawfully discriminates against the federal government.

The law, passed by the New York State Legislature and signed by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo, was intended to improve public safety and make it easier for immigrant drivers to obtain insurance. The ruling marks a significant legal victory for immigrant rights advocates in New York.