Federal Judge Upholds New York’s Driver’s Licenses for Illegal Immigrants

A U.S. district judge argued that the Trump administration failed to establish that the law violates the US Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.

People line up at the New York State DMV in New York City on April 28, 2025. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed the Trump administration’s challenge to New York’s Green Light Law, upholding the state’s issuance of driver’s licenses to individuals without requiring proof of legal U.S. residency.

U.S. District Judge Anne M. Nardacci in Albany determined that the Trump administration, which challenged the law under President Donald Trump’s enforcement of immigration laws, failed to back its claims that the state law usurps federal law or that it unlawfully regulates or unlawfully discriminates against the federal government.