Trump Administration Appeals to Supreme Court Over Voter Database Dispute

The Trump administration has requested the Supreme Court’s intervention regarding a lawsuit about the use of a contentious data system for reviewing state voter rolls before the midterm elections. The request follows a ruling in June by U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, who considered the administration’s creation of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database unlawful. This database contained private information about Americans and was allegedly misused by some states to wrongly remove U.S. citizens from their voter lists.

Judge Sooknanan stated that the administration’s actions infringed upon the privacy rights of citizens, jeopardizing their fundamental right to vote. Her ruling indicated that the push to employ the SAVE system violated three federal laws. Over the weekend, the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected the administration’s appeal to lift the block on the database.

On Tuesday, Solicitor General D. John Sauer filed a new appeal, branding Sooknanan’s decision as “indefensible” and asserting that it endangered the upcoming elections’ integrity. Sauer argued that the judge exceeded her powers and contended that the initial lawsuit, brought by voting rights groups, lacked proper legal standing. He urged the justices to lift the stay, allowing the SAVE system’s implementation.

SAVE does not disqualify any voter; instead, it merely notifies the States whether the federal government can confirm citizenship, Sauer stated. Thus, any voter injury is caused by the States, not by the federal government, and would not be redressed by the relief the court entered against the federal government.

This request comes soon after the administration sought the Supreme Court’s approval to reenact Postal Service rules impacting mail voting in the forthcoming elections. The SAVE database emerged from an executive order signed by President Trump, mandating proof of citizenship for voter registration. The order instructed federal agencies to compile a database enabling officials to verify individuals’ citizenship or immigration status for voting purposes.

Despite numerous legal challenges and blocks on significant provisions, the order prompted changes to the existing SAVE system. These updates included records of natural-born citizens, access to Social Security Administration data, like Social Security numbers, and authorization for comprehensive data searches by database users.