Consumers Affected
17,000,000
Attorney General Jay Jones and a coalition of 24 attorneys general obtained a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from demanding a database of state-owned records containing personal information of 17 million CDL drivers from AAMVA and from terminating over $10 million in federal funding. The lawsuits allege DOT, FMCSA, and DHS violated federal privacy laws by secretly creating a database with no guardrails on use or sharing of Social Security numbers and no public notice.
The court granted a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from demanding AAMVA produce the CDL driver database and from terminating more than $10 million in federal funding to AAMVA for refusing to produce it, while the litigation continues.
In-house legal teams should review vendor agreements, data sharing agreements, and contracts with motor vehicle record custodians or associations such as AAMVA to ensure they contain strict data use and minimization clauses, prohibitions on unauthorized disclosure of personal information to government entities, and requirements to provide notice to individuals before any data sharing. Clauses addressing government demands, subpoenas, or other legal process should require the data holder to notify the state or data owner and resist unlawful requests. Data processing agreements should include security safeguards for Social Security numbers and other sensitive data, and privacy policies/consent provisions should be checked to confirm individuals received adequate notice. Any contract that permits transfer of driver records to third parties should be amended to require compliance with federal privacy laws and to prohibit 'secret' database creation or data sharing without guardrails.
Entity
U.S. Department of Transportation
Industry
OtherOfficial Press Release
https://www.oag.state.va.us/media-center/news-releases/3122-attorney-general-jones-secures-preliminary-injunction-over-trump-administrations-unlawful-demand-of-cdl-drivers-personal-information
ECF No. 1, Complaint EDVA 1 26 cv 2547.pdf?language id=1
https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/News-Room/Current-News/ECF%20No.%201,%20Complaint%20-%20EDVA%201-26-cv-2547.pdf?language_id=1
003 Brief iso Mot to Quash DHS Subpoena.pdf?language id=1
https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/News-Room/Current-News/003%20Brief%20iso%20Mot%20to%20Quash%20DHS%20Subpoena.pdf?language_id=1
Virginia Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://www.oag.state.va.us/consumer-protection/
"U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)"
"multiple federal privacy laws"
"secretly setting up their own database with records extorted from AAMVA, with no guardrails on the use or sharing of drivers’ Social Security numbers and other personal information, and no notice to the public"
"the sensitive personal information of 17 million drivers"
"a U.S. District Court judge granted a preliminary injunction that blocks the Trump administration from demanding the production of a database of state-owned records containing the sensitive personal information of 17 million drivers and from terminating more than $10 million in federal funding to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) if it refuses to produce the database"
"Attorney General Jones and a coalition of 24 attorneys general"
Attorney General Jay Jones and a coalition of 21 attorneys general obtained a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from demanding a database of state-owned records containing sensitive personal information of 17 million commercial drivers from AAMVA. The lawsuits allege the federal agencies violated federal privacy laws and the Administrative Procedure Act by seeking to acquire the data without guardrails or public notice.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 22 attorneys general plus Pennsylvania secured a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from seizing the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of 17 million commercial drivers nationwide, including nearly 500,000 New Yorkers. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia granted the TRO, preventing the federal government from accessing the data or cutting off access to the critical database.
A coalition of 21 state attorneys general and Pennsylvania filed lawsuits against the Trump Administration, DOT, FMCSA, DHS, and AAMVA to prevent the unlawful demand for a database containing personal information of 17 million commercial driver's license holders. The lawsuits allege violations of federal privacy laws and the Administrative Procedure Act, and seek an emergency order to block the data transfer.
A coalition of 21 attorneys general and the Governor of Pennsylvania filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Transportation, FMCSA, DHS, and AAMVA to prevent the federal government from obtaining a database of personal information of 17 million commercial driver's license holders. The lawsuits allege the federal government violated federal privacy laws and the Administrative Procedure Act by demanding the data without notice or guardrails, and threatening to withhold $10 million in federal funding if AAMVA refused.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 21 other attorneys general and Pennsylvania sued the U.S. Department of Transportation and Department of Homeland Security to block the federal government from seizing the personal data of 17 million commercial drivers from the CDLIS database. The coalition argues the demands violate federal privacy laws and the Constitution, and seeks an injunction to prevent the data transfer.
Attorney General Dan Rayfield and a coalition of 21 attorneys general and Pennsylvania filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Transportation, FMCSA, and AAMVA to block demands for a database containing personal information of 17 million commercial drivers. The federal government threatened to withhold $10 million in funding unless the data was turned over, which the coalition argues violates privacy law.