Supreme Court Allows States to Use SAVE Database for Citizenship Status Queries

The Supreme Court has permitted states to query the federal SAVE database, which contains information on U.S. citizenship status, despite dissent from at least three justices appointed by Democratic presidents. Voting rights organizations had raised concerns about the database's inaccuracies and potential violations of federal laws protecting social security numbers. The majority opinion determined that the queries likely do not breach these laws, suggesting that the government would likely succeed on the merits of its case. It also stated that the lower court's injunction could cause irreparable harm by hindering the federal government's ability to assist state and local agencies during midterm elections. The majority opinion did not address the potential risks to voters who may be incorrectly identified as noncitizens and subsequently removed from voting rolls. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, in her dissent, expressed skepticism regarding the government's legal arguments and criticized the majority for failing to consider the potential harms to voters. She noted that the District Court had highlighted risks, including the possibility of states canceling voter registrations for recently naturalized citizens. Both the majority and dissenting opinions acknowledged that the case is unlikely to significantly affect the upcoming midterms due to the NVRA, which prohibits mass voter purges within 90 days of an election. However, states may still utilize the database for individual determinations, and some may attempt mass purges of alleged non-citizens. This case reflects the ongoing partisan divide in the Supreme Court regarding voting regulations.