The Supreme Court decided on September 25 to allow the Department of Homeland Security to resume using its revamped SAVE citizenship database.
Posted by The Lawfare Podcast, Checked
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The Lawfare PodcastOct 8, 2026
The Supreme Court's September 25, 2026 per curiam order in DHS v. League of Women Voters stayed a June district court injunction, allowing DHS to use the revamped SAVE citizenship database, as reported by AP, Reuters, BBC, CBS, NPR, and DHS.
What was said
… Ah, it's pretty good stuff. Just wait for it, just wait for it. It's worth it. Topic two: poll position. With less than a month to go before the midterm, the Trump administration's campaign to reshape US. Elections is getting mixed results. The Supreme Court decided on September 25th to allow the Department of Homeland Security to resume using its revamped SAVE citizenship database to help states screen their voter rolls for non-citizens, but federal courts have pushed back on other measures, from the administration's proposed mail-in ballot rule to efforts that coerce states into providing their voter rolls, to withholding of …
The Lawfare Podcast · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. The Supreme Court's own order, dated September 25, 2026, stays the lower-court ruling against the SAVE program in DHS v. League of Women Voters (No. 26A308).[3]
Supports. Reuters and AP report that the Supreme Court on Friday, September 25, lifted restrictions and allowed states to use the Trump administration's revamped SAVE database for now, with the three liberal justices dissenting.[1][2]
Supports. BBC and CBS report a 6-3 decision that paused the June 2026 district court order blocking the overhauled SAVE system, which allows states to use it to verify voter citizenship.[5][6]
Supports. DHS's own statement confirms the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on September 25 that the Modified SAVE program may be used going forward.[4]
Context. Coverage notes that the ruling is temporary ("for now") and that federal law limits systematic voter roll purges within 90 days of an election, so the practical midterm impact is limited.[1][7][8]
Sources
8 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 2 primary, 1 tier 1, 2 tier 2, 1 not rated
- 1Supreme Court allows use of Trump's SAVE voter ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 2Supreme Court restores Trump's mass voter verification systemreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 326A308 Department of Homeland Security v. League of ...supremecourt.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 4DHS Applauds Supreme Court Decision Permitting ...dhs.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 5Supreme Court allows Trump to use SAVE database ...bbc.com · tier 1 · cited for: supports
- 6Supreme Court allows Trump administration to use SAVE database to check voter citizenship for nowcbsnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 7The Supreme Court revives a controversial data system ...npr.org · tier 2 · cited for: context
- 8Supreme Court lets Trump administration use revamped federal ...abc11.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- The Supreme Court revived the SAVE system, a Department of Homeland Security data system, allowing it to be used before the upcoming election.True
- The Social Security Administration lifted the block on using the SAVE database on September 25.Mixed
- The Supreme Court ruled that the Department of Homeland Security is allowed to use confidential data from the Social Security Administration based on Section 1373 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act.True
- On September 25, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to allow the Trump administration to use a Department of Homeland Security citizenship database to purge voter rolls.True
- The Supreme Court granted a stay of a district court ruling that had blocked the Trump administration's implementation of the modified SAVE database for voter verification.True