Bump in the Road for Driver's License Plan

Attentive readers will know that I have been following with borderline obsession the controversy over driver's licenses for illegal immigrants in New York -- because I think we may well be looking at our future. Well, there' s a new wrinkle: JudicialWatch has filed a lawsuit to block Gov. Eliot Spitzer's program.

Don't roll your eyes. Californians know all too well about the power of a lawsuit to derail political action (remember Prop. 187?). And upon cursory reading, opponents seem to have a case. Current New York law requires those applying for a driver's license to provide an SSN. At issue in this case is whether the governor can override that law by way of a directive, or whether the law would need to be amended by the Legislature.

But the bigger story is that this is an issue arousing fierce passion -- and persistence. No number of defeats here in California has stopped state Sen. Gil Cedillo and his supporters from continuing to push for licenses for illegal immigrants. And in New York, opponents are throwing every roadblock they can think of to stop Gov. Spitzer from making it a reality.

The fight is only getting more fierce, and there's no end in sight.