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Letitia James Joins Multistate Coalition Suing to Block Federal Seizure of 17 Million Commercial Drivers' Records

Letitia James, the New York Attorney General, has joined a coalition of 21 states and the District of Columbia to sue the federal government over its demand to seize personal records for 17 million commercial drivers. The administration announced that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration intends to share the data with the Department of Homeland Security for immigration enforcement purposes. The lawsuit seeks to block the federal government from obtaining names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers from the Commercial Driver's License Information System, which the states own and operate. Plaintiffs argue the federal government is attempting to seize confidential state records without lawful justification and is using a funding ultimatum to coerce the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators into compliance. The administration has threatened to withhold more than $10 million in federal funding if the records are not surrendered by August 17. While the Department of Transportation argues the move is necessary to identify dangerous illegal immigrants on the road, the states contend that the federal government has no legal authority to perform a bulk transfer of state-owned data without public notice or privacy safeguards.

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