The Supreme Court issued a ruling that temporarily sets aside an earlier injunction blocking the Trump administration’s use of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database to evaluate voter registration eligibility. Chief Justice John Roberts issued the decision on behalf of the court, which sends the case back to the DC circuit court of appeals for further proceedings.
The case originated from an executive order issued in March 2025 that aimed to strengthen enforcement of laws prohibiting noncitizens from voting. The order directed the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies to make federal citizenship information databases available to state elections directors. Other components of the order, including a requirement that states provide their voter rolls to the federal government, remain under court challenge.
Opposition groups including the League of Women Voters and the Electronic Privacy Information Center filed suit against the SAVE database program, contending it contained significant inaccuracies and that the use of Social Security numbers from the Social Security Administration violated multiple privacy laws. The original district court ruling had determined the expanded program violated several statutes. The League of Women Voters stated the Supreme Court decision placed millions of Americans at risk of improper removal from voter rolls weeks before the midterm elections.
Federal law restricts states from systematically removing voters from registration rolls within 90 days of an election. The Supreme Court’s ruling noted agreement among parties that the executive order prevents the federal government from using the modified SAVE program to conduct individualized inquiries during this restricted period, though such inquiries would normally be permitted under federal law at other times.
Separately, a DHS whistleblower alleged the department directed federal agents to impersonate voters using Social Security numbers to access voter history information in state systems, prompting two California senators to request an investigation by the state’s attorney general.
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