The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday allowed the Trump administration to resume using a modified federal database to help states verify the citizenship status of registered voters, putting a closely watched election-policy fight back in motion ahead of the November midterms.
In a 6–3 order, the justices stayed a June 22 ruling by a federal district judge that had set aside the modified Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, program. The Supreme Court said the stay remains in place while the case moves through the appeals process and any further review. It did not issue a final ruling on every underlying claim.
The revised system permits broader searches of government records, including the use of Social Security numbers and other information to conduct checks involving voter-registration data. The majority said federal law likely gives the Department of Homeland Security authority to request and receive citizenship and immigration-status information from other agencies, including the Social Security Administration.
The decision drew a sharp warning from the three liberal justices, who said inaccurate or outdated records could burden eligible voters, including naturalized citizens. Reuters reported that voting-rights groups cited examples of people being flagged even after proving their citizenship, while the overall error rate of the modified system remains publicly unknown. The groups also argue that the database can contain stale information.
The Department of Homeland Security welcomed the order as a victory for election integrity and said the program may be used going forward. The Supreme Court’s opinion, however, explains that the stay is tied to the ongoing litigation and that separate questions about election-law limits were not resolved in this order.
For voters, the practical impact will depend on how states use the federal data and what procedures they provide for correcting records. State election officials and eligible voters should rely on official notices and established registration channels rather than assuming that a database match by itself determines eligibility.
Sources and attribution:
• Reuters, “Supreme Court restores Trump’s mass voter verification system,” Sept. 25, 2026: https://www.reuters.com/world/supreme-court-restores-trumps-mass-voter-verification-system-2026-09-25/
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “DHS Applauds Supreme Court Decision Permitting Citizenship Verification for Voters,” Sept. 25, 2026: https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/09/25/dhs-applauds-supreme-court-decision-permitting-citizenship-verification-voters
• Supreme Court of the United States, Department of Homeland Security v. League of Women Voters, No. 26A308, Sept. 25, 2026: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a308_pok0.pdf
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