The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to revive a federal voter database that a lower court blocked in June, citing election-fraud concerns just two months before the 2026 midterms. U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer urged the justices to pause a ruling by U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan that bars the government from using an overhauled version of the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, database for voter verification.
The SAVE system, originally created in 1987 as an immigration-status verification tool for benefit eligibility, was dramatically expanded by the Trump administration beginning in 2025. The overhaul incorporated Social Security Administration data, included records of U.S.-born citizens, and enabled bulk searches of voter rolls — transforming what was once a limited system into what critics call a mass citizenship-verification database.
Judge Sooknanan ruled in June that the expanded system violated federal privacy laws and the Social Security Act. She wrote that “the federal government has knowingly trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote.” The League of Women Voters and the Electronic Privacy Information Center brought the lawsuit challenging the changes.
In his petition to the Supreme Court, Sauer argued that Sooknanan’s order “makes it harder to detect ineligible voters, undermining the integrity of federal elections and public confidence in the results of those elections.” He contended that the federal government has the authority to use Social Security data for citizenship verification and that the challengers lack legal standing to sue.
The administration’s push to revive SAVE comes as it pursues multiple legal avenues to tighten voting rules before the midterms. On Sunday, the Trump administration filed a separate emergency petition asking the Supreme Court to block a federal judge’s ruling that had barred the government from implementing portions of a U.S. Postal Service rule restricting mail-in ballots. That case, too, involves claims about voter fraud and election integrity.
Election officials and voting-rights experts have documented significant problems with the expanded SAVE system. In Texas, which began using the overhauled database in March 2025, the system flagged 2,724 people as “potential noncitizens” in October. County officials mailed notices to each person, and those who did not respond within 30 days had their registrations canceled. However, investigation revealed that many flagged voters were actually U.S. citizens. In Travis County alone, at least 11 people flagged as potential noncitizens were later confirmed to be citizens.
According to Campaign Legal Center research, the SAVE system has “repeatedly” misidentified eligible U.S. citizen voters as noncitizens, particularly naturalized citizens, older Americans, and voters who have changed their names. The system relies heavily on Social Security Administration data, which experts say is an unreliable source of citizenship information.
A divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit turned down the government’s request to pause Sooknanan’s order while the appeal moves forward, though it said the case should be fast-tracked. The Supreme Court’s decision on the Trump administration’s emergency petition could determine whether the expanded SAVE system can be deployed before Election Day.
Sources
- SCOTUSblog — Solicitor General Sauer’s September 8 petition to the Supreme Court, Judge Sooknanan’s June 22 ruling, and the administration’s arguments on standing and irreparable harm
- Votebeat — Judge Sooknanan’s 75-page ruling on SAVE, documentation of errors in Texas (2,724 flagged voters, Travis County confirmation of 11 citizens), and election officials’ concerns about accuracy
- Campaign Legal Center — Detailed explanation of SAVE’s expansion from a limited 1987 immigration tool, incorporation of Social Security data and bulk-search capability, and documented error patterns
- Democracy Docket — Confirmation that DOJ asked the Supreme Court on September 8 to lift the lower-court order and allow use of the immigration database for voter eligibility checks
