Washington Attorney General Joins Multi-State Lawsuit Challenging Federal Driver Data Demands

OLYMPIA, WA — Washington Attorney General Nick Brown joined an eight-state federal lawsuit Wednesday evening challenging Department of Transportation rules that require state licensing agencies to furnish real-time driver identity and facial recognition datasets to federal intelligence databases.

Constitutional and Statutory Privacy Challenge

The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, contends that the federal administrative mandate violates the Tenth Amendment and the Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA, 18 U.S.C. § 2721). The coalition argues that the federal government lacks statutory authorization to commandeer state administrative databases or condition federal highway infrastructure grants on the mass disclosure of resident driving records without individual judicial warrants.

State officials emphasized that Washington's state privacy statutes explicitly restrict the unconsented sharing of Department of Licensing records with external agencies.

Privacy Rights and Civil Liberties

Civil rights organizations and digital privacy advocates submitted amicus briefs supporting the state coalition, warning that mass data sharing creates unmonitored surveillance repositories that could be exploited for discriminatory enforcement.

Attorneys general from Oregon, California, and Illinois joined the complaint, asserting that state sovereign authority over motor vehicle administration must be defended against executive overreach.

Motion for Preliminary Injunction Schedule

The plaintiff states filed an emergency motion for a nationwide preliminary injunction, with oral arguments scheduled before U.S. District Judge Tana Lin on September 4, 2026.