Washington, August 22: A federal court in the United States has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from accessing a database containing sensitive information of over 17 million commercial drivers. The judge’s ruling prevents the administration from obtaining critical data, which includes drivers’ Social Security numbers and driving license details.
The court also denied the administration’s request to halt more than $10 million in federal funding to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, along with a coalition of state attorneys general, challenged the demands made by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and the Department of Homeland Security.
According to the Virginia Attorney General’s office, the court’s order temporarily halts the Transportation Department from acquiring records and also puts a stop to the Homeland Security subpoenas until legal proceedings are resolved. Jones stated, “The federal court’s temporary restraining order is a significant victory for the privacy of millions of commercial drivers.”
He added, “By preventing the U.S. Department of Transportation from obtaining over 17 million sensitive records and halting the Department of Homeland Security’s subpoenas, this ruling ensures that the data of Virginia residents remains secure and under state control during the legal process. The judge’s decision reinforces long-standing privacy and governance protections related to state-owned driver information.”
The federal government’s position was not included in the information released by Jones’s office. The dispute centers around the Commercial Driver License Information System (CDLIS), established by Congress in 1986 to allow states to share information about individuals applying for commercial driving licenses and to check if applicants hold licenses in other states.
Since 1988, the Transportation Department has entrusted the operation of this system to a private non-profit organization known as the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. The records stored in the database include the driver’s name, date of birth, Social Security number, driving license number, and the name of the state providing the information.
Jones and other attorneys general filed two related lawsuits last week. One lawsuit involves the Transportation Department, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and the association managing the database. The other lawsuit challenges the Homeland Security Department’s attempts to obtain records.
The lawsuits allege that federal agencies are violating several privacy laws by attempting to create a separate database using records obtained from the association. It is claimed that the proposed database would lack security measures to control the use or sharing of Social Security numbers and other personal information. They also argue that this effort was made without any public notice.
Jones indicated that they will now seek a preliminary injunction to prevent the transfer of information during the litigation process. Attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, along with the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania, are also involved in this legal action. The Attorney General of Minnesota is participating in the case related to Homeland Security.
Commercial driving license records are primarily maintained by individual states, although federal regulations establish nationwide standards for licensing drivers of trucks, buses, and other large commercial vehicles. Before approving a commercial driving license application, states verify the applicant’s identity, medical fitness, immigration status, and driving history in other states where the individual may have been licensed.
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