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Politics

Supreme Court permits federal citizenship database use for state voter rolls

A 6-3 order pauses a lower court injunction, allowing officials to check registration lists against expanded federal data.

Updated Sep 25, 2026 · 16:49 UTC3 reports

The short version

  • The Supreme Court voted 6-3 along ideological lines to grant the Trump administration's emergency request, lifting restrictions on an expanded federal voter database.[NBC News · The Guardian]
  • State officials may now check registered voters against federal records using Social Security numbers to verify citizenship status.[NBC News · The Guardian]
  • The administration contends the tool prevents noncitizen voting, while critics argue unreliable data could disenfranchise eligible U.S. citizens.[NBC News · The Guardian · CBS News]
  • The justices noted that federal law limits immediate impact by barring broad purges in the weeks leading up to an election.[NBC News]

Key facts

  • The Supreme Court voted 6-3 along ideological lines to grant the Trump administration's emergency request to allow use of the expanded SAVE database.[NBC News · The Guardian · CBS News]
  • Originally created in 1986 to check eligibility for benefits, the SAVE program was expanded by a March 2025 executive order targeting election integrity.[NBC News]
  • The high court's unsigned order noted that the National Voter Registration Act bars broad voter roll purges in the weeks immediately preceding an election.[NBC News]
  • Texas processed more than 18 million registrations through the database last year, and only three individuals have been charged with illegal noncitizen voting.[NBC News]
  • U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan previously ruled that the administration knowingly trampled on citizens' privacy rights in expanding the system.[CBS News]

What remains uncertain

  • Critics dispute the accuracy of the database and argue it could result in eligible U.S. citizens being erroneously removed from voter rolls.[NBC News · The Guardian · CBS News]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.