US Supreme Court permits Trump to use controversial voter verification system ahead of midterms. The decision allows the administration to proceed with its expanded immigration database, which states can use to check voter citizenship. The ruling overturns a lower court order that would have blocked the use of the system.
The Supreme Court ruled that the National Voter Registration Act permits the Department of Homeland Security to seek citizenship data from federal agencies. The system, known as SAVE, was expanded by the Trump administration to allow bulk searches using sensitive information from Social Security rolls. The decision allows states to use the system voluntarily.
Critics argue the system risks disenfranchising eligible voters and warn of potential errors in identifying non-citizens. Voting rights groups called the ruling 'profoundly disappointing' and warned of the risk of unlawful targeting of voters weeks before the midterms. The decision allows the federal government to use the program it believes is best suited to the task.
The Supreme Court's decision was 5-4, with the three liberal justices dissenting. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson expressed concerns that the ruling could mistakenly revoke the voting rights of eligible voters. The decision allows the administration to proceed with its plans to use the system ahead of the midterms.