Not all Tennessee driver licenses are REAL IDs, which is what Mr. O’Connor initially applied for. A REAL ID is a federally compliant license, and a combination of federal and state laws govern acceptable proof of citizenship to obtain a REAL ID. The documents that Mr. O’Connor has provided to date do not satisfy the proof required to issue him a REAL ID.
Yeah, that’s exactly what I said when the story first came out. The REAL ID requires extra proof. If he had applied for a regular license, they would have issued it no problem. If he doesn’t have the necessary documents to prove citizenship (certificate of birth abroad or whatever) then apply for that too.