Judge green lights New York's driver's license law, rejecting a Trump administration challenge [View all]

Source: ABC News/AP

December 23, 2025, 8:15 PM


NEW YORK -- A federal judge gave a green light Tuesday to New York’s so-called Green Light Law, rejecting the Trump administration’s bid to stop the state from giving people driver's licenses without having them prove they are in the country legally.

U.S. District Judge Anne M. Nardacci in Albany ruled that the Republican administration — which challenged the law under President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration — had failed to support its claims that the state law usurps federal law or that it unlawfully regulates or unlawfully discriminates against the federal government.

The Justice Department sued the state over the law in February, naming Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state’s attorney general, Letitia James, as defendants. At a news conference announcing the lawsuit, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi accused the officials, both Democrats, of prioritizing “illegal aliens over American citizens.”

“As I said from the start, our laws protect the rights of all New Yorkers and keep our communities safe,” James said in a statement Friday. “I will always stand up for New Yorkers and the rule of law.” A message seeking comment was left for the Justice Department.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/judge-green-lights-new-yorks-drivers-license-law-128667860