All articles tagged with #drivers licenses
California has delayed revoking 17,000 commercial driver's licenses until March after a lawsuit from immigrant groups, allowing more time to verify the eligibility of legally qualifying truckers amid federal pressure and concerns over safety and legality.
California has delayed revoking 17,000 commercial driver's licenses until March following a lawsuit by immigrant groups, amid federal pressure and concerns over enforcement and safety issues. The move aims to ensure qualified drivers retain their licenses while addressing federal and legal concerns about immigration status and language requirements. The situation highlights ongoing tensions between state policies, federal regulations, and civil rights advocacy.
California is preparing to reissue contested commercial driver's licenses to 17,000 immigrant truck drivers after federal pressure and legal challenges halted the previous revocations, providing relief to many drivers and their families amid ongoing political and safety debates.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has compiled a list of over 100 transgender individuals who attempted to update their gender on driver's licenses between August 2024 and August 2025, raising concerns about privacy and potential impacts on transgender rights amid recent restrictive laws in the state.
Arkansas will no longer allow residents to use "X" instead of male or female on state-issued driver's licenses or identification cards, with Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders defending the move as "common sense." The rule change, which must be approved by a legislative committee, aims to legally define sex as binary, but has faced criticism for being discriminatory towards transgender and nonbinary people, as well as creating uncertainty for intersex individuals. The discontinued policy allowed for the "X" designation without verifiable information, and the state has about 342 driver's licenses and 174 IDs with the "X" designation.
A Kansas judge ruled that the state's refusal to change the sex on driver's licenses for transgender individuals does not violate their rights under the state constitution. The ruling supports the directive by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, who argued that issuing licenses based on biological sex at birth is a public safety concern. The decision stems from a law passed in 2023 defining biological sex as male or female at birth. The judge rejected claims of violations of personal autonomy, informational privacy, and equal protection, stating that the law's meaning is clear. LGBTQ+ advocates condemned the ruling, vowing to continue working for a state that respects their identities.
A Kansas judge ruled that the state's refusal to change transgender residents' driver's licenses to reflect their gender identities does not violate their rights under the state constitution. The ruling keeps in place an order preventing the changes, in line with a 2023 law ending legal recognition of transgender people's identities. The judge stated that there is no fundamental right under the state constitution to control what information is displayed on a driver's license, leading to concerns about harassment and denial of services for transgender individuals. This decision comes amid a wave of measures from GOP-controlled legislatures across the U.S. to roll back transgender rights.
A Kansas judge ruled that the state's refusal to change transgender residents' driver's licenses to reflect their gender identities does not violate their rights under the state constitution, keeping in place an order preventing such changes. The ruling comes amid a legal battle between the conservative Attorney General and the Democratic Governor's administration, with the ACLU arguing on behalf of transgender residents. The decision is part of a broader wave of measures from GOP-controlled Legislatures across the U.S. to roll back transgender rights, and it precedes a debate on a proposed ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors in the Kansas House.
Transgender activists in Florida staged die-in protests at driver's license offices across the state in response to a new rule criminalizing changes to gender on licenses to reflect a person's gender identity. The protests were organized by several advocacy groups and aimed to highlight the impact of efforts to erase legal recognition for the transgender community. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles' new rule prohibits changing gender on licenses, citing fraud, and potential criminal and civil penalties. The Florida Legislature is also considering a bill that would prohibit licenses from reflecting a gender that is not a person's biological gender.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has implemented a new policy that prevents transgender individuals from updating their driver's licenses to reflect their correct gender identity, citing that misrepresenting one's gender on a license constitutes fraud. This move could expose trans people to criminal or civil penalties and increases the risk of discrimination and harassment. The agency's decision comes amid ongoing debates in the state legislature over similar legislation. Critics view this as part of a broader trend of non-legislative actions targeting transgender rights, with concerns that other states may follow suit.
Michigan will begin issuing new license plates, driver's licenses, and state IDs in 2024. The state will reintroduce the green and white "Water Wonderland" license plate, similar to one issued in 1963. The new driver's licenses and state IDs will feature a cutting-edge security design, including a two-line name format, the Michigan Coat of Arms, and multicolored text representing the Great Lakes. The new design aims to reduce counterfeiting and fraud. The magnetic stripe on the back of the cards will be removed, but scannable bar codes will remain. All Michigan residents will receive the new design when renewing, replacing, or correcting their license or ID.
Michigan will release new license plates, driver's licenses, and state IDs in 2024. The green and white "Water Wonderland" plate will make a comeback, while the new licenses and IDs will feature a cutting-edge security design to prevent counterfeiting and fraud. The new cards will display the Michigan Coat of Arms and the names of the Great Lakes. They will also indicate REAL ID compliance with a gold Michigan shape and star. The magnetic stripe on the back of the cards will be removed, but scannable bar codes will remain. The new design will be issued to all Michigan residents upon renewal, replacement, or correction of their license or ID.
Over 50,000 drivers in New York could have their licenses suspended on Friday due to a COVID-era rule that required them to self-certify their vision test online. Those who renewed their licenses between March 1, 2020, and August 31, 2021, must now prove their vision meets requirements by December 1 by getting another vision check at an approved specialist or DMV location. Drivers have the option to visit a local vision registry provider, use an online test provider, have their vision screened by a doctor, or visit a DMV office for a vision screening.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach argues that allowing transgender individuals to intervene in a lawsuit seeking to force the state to list the sex assigned at birth on their driver's licenses would create a legal "morass." Kobach wants to keep the focus on his argument that a new state law bars changing transgender people's licenses to reflect their gender identities. The five transgender individuals, represented by the ACLU, argue that barring changes violates their rights under the Kansas Constitution. Kobach also argues that if they intervene and raise constitutional issues, he would be obligated to defend the Department of Revenue against those claims in his own lawsuit.
The drafting of an anti-transgender law in Kansas aimed at preventing gender marker changes on driver's licenses was botched, according to a state agency's lawyer. The law, which conflicts with another law governing driver's licenses, took effect on July 1. Despite the new law, Democratic Governor Laura Kelly announced that Kansas would continue to change transgender people's driver's licenses to reflect their gender identities. Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a lawsuit against the Department of Revenue in an attempt to prevent such changes. A judge issued an order to temporarily stop the changes, but the state agency is seeking to have the order rescinded. The Department of Revenue has reported that over 500 people have changed their gender markers on their licenses since July 2019.