Judge Rejects Trump Admin Challenge To New York’s ‘Green Light Law’
A federal judge has rejected an effort by the Trump administration to block New York’s controversial “Green Light Law,” a statute that allows the state to issue driver’s licenses to individuals who cannot prove they are in the country legally.
U.S. District Judge Anne Nardacci ruled in Albany that the administration failed to sufficiently demonstrate that key provisions of the law are preempted by federal authority, unlawfully regulate the federal government, or improperly discriminate against it.
The Department of Justice filed the lawsuit in February, arguing that the law violates the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause by interfering with federal immigration enforcement. The DOJ also sought an injunction to prevent the statute from being enforced.
The suit named the state of New York as well as Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democratic Attorney General Letitia James as defendants.
Federal lawyers challenged three specific provisions of the law, including language that bars the New York Department of Motor Vehicles from sharing records with “any agency that primarily enforces immigration law or to any employee or agent of such agency” without a court order or judicial warrant.
Another provision requires individuals with access to DMV records to certify they will not disclose that information. A third mandates that the DMV notify a license holder within three days if federal immigration authorities request their records.
Judge Nardacci acknowledged that immigration enforcement is a deeply divisive political issue but emphasized that her role was limited to determining whether the administration had sufficiently alleged a constitutional violation.
“The Court’s role is not to evaluate the desirability of the Green Light Law as a policy matter, but rather to assess whether Plaintiff’s well-pled allegations, accepted as true, establish that the challenged provisions of the Green Light Law violate the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause,” Nardacci wrote.
“The Court concludes that Plaintiff has failed to state such a claim,” she added.
When the lawsuit was filed, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi accused Hochul and James of prioritizing illegal immigrants over law-abiding Americans. She argued that the law prevents federal officers from accessing critical driving and criminal records during routine traffic stops, undermining public safety.
The DOJ described the statute as “a frontal assault on the federal immigration laws, and the federal authorities that administer them,” pointing in particular to the requirement that state officials alert individuals who are unlawfully present in the country when federal immigration agencies seek their information.
Federal officials also warned that President Donald J. Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda would be significantly more effective if federal authorities were granted real-time access to New York driver data.
Although the Green Light Law has been in effect since 2019, renewed scrutiny followed the January killing of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent during a traffic stop involving a German national near the U.S.-Canada border in Vermont.
“Any information that can help law enforcement stay safe as they conduct their duties has pretty much been taken away with this Green Light Law,” Hector Garza, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, told Fox News at the time.
“What [the Green Light Law] does, is that it prevents law enforcement agents from getting any type of information in regards to any registrations that the state has,” Garza added. “For example, before we engage in traffic stops, typically law enforcement will always conduct a vehicle registration check to see if there’s any warrants to see if that person is considered armed and dangerous.”