Update May 9, 2012: Implementation of this law is on hold following an injunction filed on Friday, May 4 by ACLU officials and advocates for homeless, immigration, minority and women’s groups on grounds that the state imposed the new requirements without publishing details or soliciting public comment.
New Jersey MVC chairman Raymond Martinez Martinez announced that beginning May 7 2012, New Jersey will be the ninth state requiring the controversial “Tru ID” driver’s licenses, which are a form of national identity card opposed by civil rights and privacy advocates around the country. To obtain a new license or renew an old one, “proof of legal identity, proof of lawful presence in the US, proof of Social Security number, and proof of principal residence,” will be required.
At 2007 Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on implications for civil liberties, a policy analyst criticized DHS for,
“… not providing strong federal guidelines for privacy and security for the program, leaving it to the states to handle …. Were they to comply with the REAL ID Act, states would have to cross a mine-field of complicated and expensive technology decisions,” Harper testified. “They would face enormous, possibly insurmountable, privacy and data security challenges.”
You probably know how much I trust Christie (not) to act in the best interests of average New Jersey residents. Sounds like a recipe for disaster stew to me – as far as privacy rights of residents are concerned.
“Tru ID” cards will have a gold star in the upper righthand corner and will be good for eight years. Visit njmvc.gov for more information.