Supreme Court·Elections
Supreme Court, 6-3, clears the way for DHS SAVE citizenship checks of voters
The Supreme Court on Friday stayed a June 22 district-court order that had vacated the modified Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program, clearing the way for the Department of Homeland Security to use the expanded database to help state and local election officials verify voters’ citizenship while the case continues, according to the Court’s unsigned per curiam opinion in DHS v. League of Women Voters, No. 26A308. The majority said the challengers’ claims “likely lack merit,” that 8 U.S.C. §1373 authorizes DHS to receive citizenship information from other agencies “notwithstanding any other provision of … law,” and that the lower-court order “inhibits the Federal Government’s efforts to assist state and local agencies in the proper administration of the midterm elections.” Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan; the Court noted the National Voter Registration Act’s 90-day bar on systematic list maintenance limits near-term impact but still blocks individualized inquiries if the district order stays in place.
- Supreme Court26A308 Department of Homeland Security v. League of Women Voters (09/25/2026)
- SCOTUSblogSupreme Court clears way for Trump administration to use modified voter verification database