Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court To Revive SAVE Voter Citizenship Database
Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, to stay a lower-court block and let states use SAVE to check voter rolls.[1]
The filing seeks to lift a district court injunction so states can resume using the federal SAVE citizenship database to review voter registrations.[1] The appeal follows the D.C. Circuit's recent refusal to grant a stay, which left the injunction in place.[1]
U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan ruled in June that the administration unlawfully expanded SAVE, saying the change violated three federal laws and risked removing U.S. citizens from voter rolls.[1] A Trump executive order had directed DHS and the Social Security Administration to build the expanded, centralized SAVE citizenship-status database.[1]
The Supreme Court must now decide whether to grant an emergency stay that would let states resume using SAVE while the legal fight continues.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Tuesday, September 8, 2026, Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked the Supreme Court to stay a district court injunction and permit states to use the SAVE database to review voter rolls.
- U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan ruled in June 2026 that the Trump administration unlawfully expanded the SAVE system, saying it violated three federal laws and enabled improper removal of U.S. citizens from voter lists.
- The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the administration’s request for a stay over the weekend before the Supreme Court filing, leaving Sooknanan’s block in force.
- The expanded SAVE database was created under a Trump executive order directing DHS and the Social Security Administration to build a centralized citizenship-status system that includes natural-born citizens and Social Security data and allows bulk searches tied to voter registration.
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