FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 23, 2025
Media Contacts:
Nim Kaur, media@sikhcoalition.org, (732) 823-9266
Joshua Stickney, media@asianlawcaucus.org, (415) 209-5952
Sikh Coalition and Asian Law Caucus File Suit Against State of California Cancellation of Commercial Driver’s Licenses
OAKLAND, Calif. — Sikh Coalition, Asian Law Caucus, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP today filed a class-action lawsuit against the State of California challenging the unlawful cancellation of 20,000 Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) issued to drivers. The lawsuit seeks to halt the California Department of Motor Vehicles’ (DMV) cancellation of commercial licenses that would result in mass work stoppages beginning January 5, 2026.
Filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, this class-action lawsuit is brought on behalf of the Jakara Movement and five commercial drivers who have been deprived of their rights and livelihoods. The lawsuit follows 60-day cancellation notices sent by the DMV in November and December to drivers whose CDLs were flagged due to alleged mismatched expiration dates between state driver’s licenses and federal work authorization records. The legal challenge comes amid federal scrutiny and pressure over several states’ CDL licensing systems.
According to reports from the San Francisco Chronicle and KQED, California state officials communicated they would begin reissuing licenses on December 17. Despite these public assurances, the state has neither reissued any of the contested licenses nor created a process to remedy the date issue with no indication that it plans to do so before January 5.
The California drivers facing license cancellations comply with a host of federal and state regulations, including regular renewals of their licenses and work authorization allowed under immigration law. Freight truckers, transit drivers, and other drivers have for years provided invaluable services, including delivering goods and produce, hauling municipal waste, and transporting neighbors and children to jobs and school.
"The state of California must help these 20,000 drivers because, at the end of the day, the clerical errors threatening their livelihoods are of the CA-DMV’s own making. If the court does not issue a stay, we will see a devastating wave of unemployment that harms individual families, as well as the destabilization of supply chains on which we all rely,” said Munmeeth Kaur, legal director of the Sikh Coalition. “These drivers have spent years anchoring their lives to these careers, only to now face potential economic ruin through no fault of their own—they deserve better, and California must do better."
“Our state has a clear moral obligation and legal duty to protect workers who have done everything right,” says Katherine Zhao, senior staff attorney at Asian Law Caucus. “Without an immediate court-ordered stay, many drivers will lose their jobs through no fault of their own. At a moment when families should be spending time with loved ones, these workers are instead confronting financial devastation and the loss of livelihoods they have spent years building. We are asking the court to compel California to protect workers.”
To speak with a representative from any of the co-counsel or plaintiffs, please reach out to a media contact above.
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For nearly 25 years, the Sikh Coalition has fought to defend and expand Sikh civil rights in the United States. For more information about this lawsuit, the Sikh community’s impact on the U.S. trucking industry, or the Sikh Coalition’s additional work to fight for truckers’ rights, email media@sikhcoalition.org.
Asian Law Caucus (ALC) was founded in 1972 as the nation's first legal and civil rights organization focusing on the needs of low-income, immigrant and underserved Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Recognizing that social, economic, political, and racial inequalities continue to exist in the United States, ALC is committed to the pursuit of equality and justice for all sectors of our society. www.asianlawcaucus.org
Founded in 1931, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP has been a preeminent provider of legal services for more than 90 years. With approximately 1,200 lawyers in offices on three continents, Weil has been a pioneer in the marketplace and a first-mover in the establishment of many significant practice areas. The Firm’s four departments, Corporate, Litigation, Restructuring, and Tax, Executive Compensation & Benefits, and more than two dozen practice groups are consistently recognized as leaders in their respective fields.