The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that Congress acted within its powers by requiring that states not disclose personal data on a driver's license, a law aimed at protecting privacy and personal safety. The high court, in a unanimous opinion written by Chief Justice William Rehnquist, declared that Congress did not violate the principles of constitutional federalism when it adopted the Driver's Privacy Protection Act of 1994, according to Reuters. The personal information for a license includes the driver's name, address, telephone number, age, height, weight and in some cases medical data.
Many states also require a social security number and a photograph.
The law prohibits the unauthorized disclosure of such information. Before the law was adopted, states routinely sold data from motor vehicle records to individuals and businesses, including direct-mail companies. The information is also used in the stream of interstate commerce by various public and private entities. He acknowledged that the law may require time and effort for state employees to carry it out, but ruled that it was not an unconstitutional burden. South Carolina had sued, alleging the law exceeded Congress' constitutional powers over the state, an argument Rehnquist rejected.