Clarence Thomas Blasts Supreme Court For Refusing Florida Case

Thomas’s Sharp Dissent

Justice Thomas strongly objected to the Court’s refusal.

In his dissent, Thomas argued that the Constitution and federal law require the Supreme Court to hear disputes between states. He criticized the Court’s longstanding practice of treating such cases as discretionary rather than mandatory.

Thomas wrote that Florida accused California and Washington of violating federal law by issuing commercial driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants who allegedly could not meet federal English-language requirements. He further stated that Florida linked those practices to serious highway safety concerns and fatal accidents.

“This Court declines to even hear Florida’s claims, even though it has nowhere else to bring them,” Thomas wrote in his dissent.

The dissent reflects a position Thomas and Alito have repeatedly taken in disputes involving lawsuits between states. Both justices have argued that the Court should not refuse cases that fall within its original jurisdiction.

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