Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration's Bulk Voter Eligibility Checks

A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration's expansion of a federal data system to conduct bulk checks of voter eligibility is unlawful, prohibiting its use in its current form. The ruling addresses a tool that has been used to screen over 47 million voter records and has flagged U.S. citizens as potential noncitizens in some states.

Court Ruling

"All in all, the federal government has knowingly trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote."
— Judge Sparkle Sooknanan

U.S. District Court Judge Sparkle Sooknanan issued a 75-page decision on Monday finding that federal agencies violated the Privacy Act, Social Security Act, and Administrative Procedure Act. The judge determined that agencies failed to provide public notice and lacked statutory authority for expanding the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system.

The ruling prevents the overhauled SAVE tool from being used in its current form but does not require destruction of the data collected. The federal government may appeal the ruling.

System Overview

SAVE is operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Originally designed to verify eligibility for government benefits on an individual basis, the Trump administration modified SAVE to allow bulk checks of voter lists.

The revamped system is linked to data from the Social Security Administration, using name, date of birth, and the last four digits of a Social Security number. It has also integrated with the State Department's U.S. passport database, enabling lookups via passport numbers.

Over 47 million voter records have been processed through the expanded SAVE system. States that have reported results from SAVE checks include:

The Trump administration issued executive orders in 2025 mandating use of SAVE for voter verification, though parts of those orders were already blocked by other courts.

Individual Impact

Anthony Nel, a 29-year-old U.S. citizen born in South Africa who became a citizen as a teenager, received a letter from Denton County, Texas, election officials questioning his voter eligibility. The notice stated that information from the Texas Secretary of State indicated he might not be a U.S. citizen and required proof of citizenship within 30 days to avoid registration cancellation. Nel's registration was canceled after he did not provide documentation within the specified timeframe.

In Denton County, out of 84 flagged registered voters:

• 14 proved their citizenship
• 14 were determined to be noncitizens registered in error
• 55, including Nel, had their registrations canceled due to non-response

Known System Limitations

USCIS's own fact sheet acknowledges that SAVE may not confirm citizenship for individuals who acquired it as foreign-born children of naturalized parents if they have not received a Certificate of Citizenship or are not designated as U.S. citizens in Social Security Administration records.

A DHS Privacy Impact Assessment further indicates that SAVE may produce inaccurate results due to data entry errors, transposed numbers, or incomplete information. The assessment notes that queries using only Social Security numbers do not allow for a multi-step review process.

Officials in Travis County, Texas, described the list of potential noncitizens from the Secretary of State's office as "unfiltered and unvetted." They noted that a quarter of voters flagged in their county had registered at the Department of Public Safety, where proof of citizenship is typically provided. The Texas Secretary of State's office did not cross-check SAVE results with DPS records before sharing the list with counties.

Implementation and Opposition

The changes to SAVE were implemented without public notice or congressional input. After a lawsuit was filed by plaintiffs including the League of Women Voters, DHS and the Social Security Administration retroactively issued public notices about the changes, which received tens of thousands of negative comments.

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon and 11 other Democratic secretaries of state publicly commented against the SAVE changes, expressing concern about the tool's accuracy in identifying noncitizens.

Statements

"Today's decision is a resounding victory for voters. Efforts to create a federal voter database to facilitate voter purges threaten the fundamental right at the heart of our democracy."
— Marcia Johnson, League of Women Voters

"They just didn't listen to the American people who spoke out against this plan. And now we have a court saying... that this is an unlawful, unreliable system and it needs to be shut down unless and until Congress authorizes it."
— Nikhel Sus, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

DHS General Counsel James Percival posted on X: "It's amazing how hard the Left will fight to stop us from solving problems they insist do not exist. Judge Sparkle Soknanan's latest ruling preventing DHS from addressing alien voting is just the latest example!" (The post misspelled the judge's name.)