Monroe County Clerk Cheryl Dinolfo says she will not immediately withdraw a lawsuit she filed against state DMV Commissioner David Swarts over a plan to allow undocumented immigrants obtain drivers license, despite Governor Eliot Spitzer's announcement that he is withdrawing the controversial plan.

Speaking in Washington, D.C., Tuesday morning, Spitzer stood by his initial rationale for making the proposal, which was to improve safety on the roads and to bring undocumented immigrants "out of the shadows." But, he said, states lack the ability to address immigration laws. They do, he said, have an "obligation to try to address some of their negative consequences." He tried to do that with his license proposal, but learned that immigration is not an area in which states should experiment, he said.

"Leadership is not about doing what one solely thinks is right. Leadership is also about listening to the public, responding to their concerns, and knowing when to put aside a single divisive issue in favor of a larger agenda," Spitzer said.

The governor faced mounting pressure from both Republicans and Democrats over the proposal. Some members of the state's congressional delegation also opposed the plan, while others, including senator and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, avoided taking a position.

Spitzer's reversal may also be an attempt to repair his standing with voters. The issue has dragged down Spitzer's approval ratings. In poll results released November 13 by the Siena Research Institute, the governor had an approval rating of only 41 percent. Spitzer's approval was at 75 percent when he took office in January. It has steadily declined since then.

Dinolfo says she is taking a "wait-and-see" approach to make sure plans to issue licenses to undocumented immigrants are truly dead.

Dinolfo says she's pleased the governor dropped the plan, but he never should have proposed it in the first place. There's no reason why people who are here illegally should have access to the privilege, she said.

"Today is a victory for the rule of law," Dinolfo said.