(The Center Square) – Twenty-two states have gone to court to block the Trump administration from accessing a database containing the personal information of roughly 17 million commercial drivers. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the federal government is entitled to that data and needs it to keep the highways safe.
This is the latest in a series of legal fights. The same coalition of attorneys general has also challenged federal efforts to obtain state data tied to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families participation and, separately, voter registration records.
In each case, the states that have sued argue the demands exceed federal authority and threaten privacy. The administration argues the information is necessary to enforce existing law.
The Center Square’s Enterprise and Investigating Unit previously reported that nearly two dozen state attorneys general began coordinating potential litigation against Donald Trump as early as April 2024 – months before his election to a second non-consecutive term.
The newest lawsuit, announced Thursday, names the Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. A related case targets the Department of Homeland Security.
The states suing claim the administration’s demand for the commercial driver data is unlawful.
“This database was created 40 years ago so states could share information with each other to stop unsafe drivers from operating commercial vehicles, and the federal government’s decision to ransack that database puts the whole system in jeopardy,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a statement.
New York Attorney General Letitia James posted about the lawsuit on social media.
“I’m suing to stop the Trump administration from seizing millions of confidential state driving records without any lawful justification,” James wrote. “We won’t allow the federal government to force states to choose between protecting Americans’ privacy and upholding public safety.”
Duffy responded on social media, saying the lawsuit shows “liberal states are siding with illegal truck drivers over the safety of American citizens.”
He added that the 22 states are trying to block the department from obtaining DMV files “to verify who is driving semis – information that we are ENTITLED to get,” and called the lawsuits “another tactic by the left to protect illegals in this country.”
Federal officials point to recent enforcement results. In “Operation Highway Shield,” Homeland Security and the Transportation Department said they removed more than 800 dangerous truck drivers from the roads, including more than 50 who were in the country illegally.
So what exactly is being demanded? According to the attorneys general suing, the federal government has ordered production of the full Commercial Driver’s License Information System database – records covering about 17 million drivers – and has threatened to cut more than $10 million in federal funding to American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators if the organization does not comply.
Faced with that threat, AAMVA informed the states it would turn over the data. That prompted the lawsuit from the AGs seeking to block the transfer.
The states note that they, not the federal government, are responsible for verifying a driver’s identity, medical fitness, immigration status, and driving history across jurisdictions. They argue the personal data in the system belongs to the states and that the federal demand reaches back five years without sufficient legal authority or privacy limits.
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