# SCOTUS Lets Trump Use Social Security Data to Purge Voters - URL: https://twotakes.us/stories/scotus-lets-trump-use-social-security-data-to-purge-voters - Published: 2026-09-26T07:12:45.104539+00:00 - Topics: supreme-court, voting-rights, immigration, election-integrity, privacy ## What the left says - The SAVE database has a documented history of falsely flagging naturalized and native-born citizens as noncitizens, meaning eligible voters could be wrongly purged or forced to prove their citizenship weeks before an election. - The Trump administration expanded a decades-old benefits-verification tool into a bulk voter-screening system without clear congressional authorization, raising serious privacy concerns under the Social Security Act and Privacy Act. - A federal district judge and appeals court both found the program likely unlawful, and the Supreme Court's emergency order overrides those findings without full briefing or argument on a rushed 'shadow docket' basis. - Justice Jackson's dissent warns that disenfranchising even a small number of lawful voters is a graver harm than any inconvenience to the government, especially when the legal basis for the program remains unresolved. ## What the right says - Federal law obligates DHS to respond to state and local requests verifying voter citizenship, and the ruling simply lets the government use the tool it considers best suited for that legitimate purpose. - The decision is a significant validation of Trump's broader election integrity agenda, following reports of tens of thousands of noncitizens found on voter rolls nationwide. - Officials frame the case as absurd on its face, arguing the administration should never have needed Supreme Court intervention just to use government data confirming citizenship for voting eligibility. - The 90-day restriction on systematic roll purges before an election remains in place, so this ruling mainly restores the government's ability to verify individual voters rather than trigger mass removals before the midterms. ## Common ground - The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 along ideological lines to stay a lower court injunction blocking the expanded SAVE program. - Federal law bars states from systematically purging voter rolls within 90 days of a federal election, limiting the ruling's practical effect on the 2026 midterms. - The SAVE program was expanded in 2025 to include Social Security data and bulk searches after a Trump executive order on election integrity. - Both sides recognize this is not a final ruling on the merits, and litigation over the program's legality will continue in lower courts. ## Sources - [AllSides](https://www.allsides.com/news/2026-09-25-0700/justice-trump-scores-supreme-court-win-election-integrity-fight-states-gain-new-voter-roll-tool) (Center) - [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/09/25/trump-administration-revamped-voter-database-supreme-court) (Lean Left) - [Blaze Media](https://www.theblaze.com/news/ketani-brown-supreme-court-trump) (Right) - [Breitbart](https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/09/25/scotus-rules-6-3-permit-trumps-streamlined-voter-verification-system-ahead-midterms/) (Right) - [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/video/supreme-court-allows-use-of-database-to-review-voter-rolls/) (Lean Left) - [Daily Caller](https://dailycaller.com/2026/09/25/supreme-court-trump-admin-illegal-aliens-voter-rolls) (Right) - [Daily Wire](https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-hands-trump-win-on-voter-citizenship-checks-ahead-of-midterms) (Right) - [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/supreme-court-allows-trump-admin-use-federal-voter-eligibility-database-during-appeal) (Right) - [HuffPost](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/supreme-court-trump-social-security-voter-registration_n_6ab69736e4b075a3d285ba97) (Left) - [Just The News](https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/supreme-court-cisa?utm_source=justthenews.com&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=external-news-aggregators) (Right) - [Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion](https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/09/supreme-court-grants-trump-admin-stay-over-dhs-voter-citizenship-verification/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=supreme-court-grants-trump-admin-stay-over-dhs-voter-citizenship-verification) (Unknown) - [Mother Jones](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/09/supreme-court-save-database/) (Left) - [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-allows-trump-administration-use-expanded-database-potent-rcna596611) (Lean Left) - [Newsmax](https://www.newsmax.com/politics/vanduyne-election-supremecourt/2026/09/25/id/1270749) (Right) - [NPR](https://www.npr.org/2026/09/25/nx-s1-5976804/supreme-court-trump-save-noncitizen-voting) (Lean Left) - [PJ Media](https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2026/09/25/supreme-court-approves-expanded-voter-verification-program-n4957640) (Unknown) - [RedState](https://redstate.com/wardclark/2026/09/25/mike-lee-explodes-30000-noncitizens-exposed-on-us-voter-rolls-n2207374) (Unknown) - [Slate](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/09/supreme-court-trump-republicans-voter-purge-fail.html?via=rss) (Lean Left) - [The Daily Signal](https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/09/25/breaking-supreme-court-hands-trump-major-victory-in-drive-to-combat-noncitizen-voting/) (Right) - [The Federalist](https://thefederalist.com/2026/09/25/scotus-restores-dhs-program-used-to-identify-noncitizens-on-voter-rolls/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=scotus-restores-dhs-program-used-to-identify-noncitizens-on-voter-rolls) (Right) - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/6112248-norm-eisen-supreme-court-immigration-database/) (Center) - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/6111517-scotus-lifts-block-save-overhaul/) (Center) - [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/09/25/government-can-use-social-security-data-identify-noncitizen-voters-supreme-court-rules/) (Lean Left) --- Content by TwoTakes (https://twotakes.us). You may quote, summarize and cite it, including in AI answers, as long as you credit TwoTakes and link the story URL. Original reporting belongs to the linked outlets. Summaries are AI-assisted and reviewed for balance; check the original sources for authoritative reporting.