US Supreme Court lifts block on expanded voter eligibility database

The US Supreme Court has paused a lower-court order blocking use of the Trump administration’s expanded SAVE database for voter eligibility checks. The 25 September stay lets the system be used while an appeal proceeds. It concerns access to a federal database, rather than imposing a national requirement for voters to present citizenship documents. [1] [2]

A 2025 overhaul added records of US-born citizens, access to Social Security Administration data including Social Security numbers, and the ability to run bulk searches. Administration officials say the system helps states prevent non-citizens from voting illegally. Texas, which backed the administration in the case, has disputed claims that the system is unreliable. [3] [5]

The district court found that states were removing US citizens from voter rolls on the basis of inaccurate information. It cited a Social Security Administration warning that citizenship data used for other purposes might not be current. Reuters reported that the system’s overall error rate was not publicly known. [3] [5]

In an accompanying opinion, the Supreme Court’s majority said federal law authorised the Department of Homeland Security to request and receive citizenship information. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, dissented, disputing whether that law overrode other restrictions on disclosing the information. [1]