Judge Rejects Trump Admin Challenge To New York’s ‘Green Light Law’

A federal judge has formally rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to block New York’s so-called Green Light Law, a state statute designed to allow individuals to obtain driver’s licenses regardless of their immigration status. The law, which has sparked both political debate and legal scrutiny since its enactment in 2019, essentially permits the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue licenses to residents who cannot prove they are legally in the United States. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Anne Nardacci emphasized that the federal government had failed to establish that the law violated the Constitution, particularly the Supremacy Clause, which dictates that federal law takes precedence over state law. While the law has been a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration policy, Nardacci noted that her task was limited to reviewing the legal merits of the federal claims, not evaluating the policy’s broader political implications.

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