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A federal judge on Tuesday cleared the way for New York's so-called Green Light Law, ruling against the Trump administration's efforts to block the state from issuing people driver's licenses without requiring proof that they are in the U.S. legally.
U.S. District Judge Anne M. Nardacci found that the Department of Justice, which filed a lawsuit against New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Attorney General Letitia James in February—failed to prove their claims that the state law purports to invalidate a federal law or that the measure unlawfully regulates or unlawfully discriminates against the federal government.
“As I have said from the beginning, our laws protect the rights of all New Yorkers and keep our communities safe,” James said in a statement. “I will always defend New Yorkers and the rule of law.”
US Attorney General Pam Bondi When the lawsuit was announced, it was alleged that Hochul and James were prioritizing “illegal aliens over American citizens” because a controversial state law prevents federal agents trying to enforce immigration laws from seeing illegal immigrants” criminal driving records during traffic stops.
In February, the Justice Department sued New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Attorney General Letitia James. (Getty Images)
Nardacci wrote in her ruling that her job was not to evaluate the desirability of the law as a policy issue, but to determine whether the Trump administration's arguments supported its claims that the statute violated the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which states that federal laws prevail over state laws.
The administration “failed to make such a claim,” Nardacci wrote.
The Green Light Act, also known as the Driver's License Access and Privacy Act, was passed in part to improve road safety as people sometimes drove without a license or without taking a driving test. The measure would make it easier for licensees to obtain auto insurance.
The law states that people who do not have a valid Social Security number may provide alternative forms of identification, including valid passports and driver's licenses issued in other countries. Applicants must still obtain a driver's license and pass a road test to qualify for a “standard driver's license.”
The legislation does not apply to commercial driver's licenses (CDLs).
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The Justice Department said New York is giving priority to “illegal aliens over American citizens.” (Getty Images)
The Justice Department's lawsuit argues that the law is a “frontal attack on federal immigration laws and the federal authorities that enforce them,” citing a provision that requires a state DMV commissioner to notify people who are in the country illegally when a federal immigration agency requests their information.
The lawsuit also argues that it would be easier to enforce the Trump administration's immigration agenda if federal authorities had unrestricted access to Information for drivers in New York.
The green light law came into force in 2019 but has come under renewed scrutiny since deadly shootout in Vermont in January, leaving a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent dead near the northern border with Canada following a traffic stop involving a German national.
“Any information that could help law enforcement stay safe in the performance of their duties has been largely removed with this Green Light Act,” said Hector Garza, vice president of the National Border Council. told Fox News Digital at that time.
A Department of Homeland Security vehicle sits at the south entrance of Interstate 91 in Newport, Vermont, where a U.S. Border Patrol agent was shot and killed during a traffic stop, Jan. 20, 2025. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)
“What [the Green Light Law] “For example, before we engage in a traffic stop, typically law enforcement will always conduct a vehicle registration check to see if there are any warrants as to whether the person is considered armed and dangerous.”
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But Nardacci, echoing an appeals court ruling in the county clerk's previous lawsuit against the law, wrote that the information “remains available to federal immigration authorities” based on a lawful court order or bench warrant.
New York is one of a dozen states that allow illegal immigrants to drive.
Fox News Digital's Michael Ruiz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
