# SCOTUS Lets Trump Use Social Security Data to Vet Voters - URL: https://twotakes.us/stories/scotus-lets-trump-use-social-security-data-to-vet-voters - Published: 2026-09-25T19:12:41.852825+00:00 - Topics: supreme-court, voting-rights, immigration, election-integrity, privacy ## What the left says - The SAVE database has a documented history of false positives, meaning eligible citizens risk being wrongly flagged as noncitizens and purged from voter rolls. - The Trump administration overhauled the system to add Social Security numbers and native-born citizens' data and enable bulk searches, raising serious privacy concerns under the Social Security Act and Privacy Act. - A district court found the administration violated federal privacy law, and the emergency, unsigned ruling reverses that protection without full briefing or oral argument on a rushed 'shadow docket' basis. - Voting rights groups warn this is part of a broader pattern of aggressive, unsubstantiated claims about noncitizen voting despite audits showing such fraud is exceedingly rare. ## What the right says - Federal law under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act obligates DHS to share citizenship verification information with state and local election officials upon request. - This ruling is a long-overdue tool to help states confirm that only citizens are voting, addressing a legitimate election integrity concern ahead of the midterms. - The lower court injunction had improperly blocked the federal government from using the program it determined was best suited to verifying voter eligibility. - Use of the SAVE database remains voluntary for states, giving them the discretion to strengthen their own voter roll accuracy without federal overreach. ## Common ground - The ruling's practical impact on the November midterms is likely limited because federal law bars states from systematically purging voter rolls within 90 days of an election. - States' use of the SAVE database is voluntary, not mandatory. - The case will continue to be litigated, with the underlying legal questions sent back to lower courts rather than finally resolved. - The decision passed 6-3 along ideological lines, with Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson dissenting. ## Sources - [PJ Media](https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2026/09/25/supreme-court-approves-expanded-voter-verification-program-n4957640) (Unknown) - [RedState](https://redstate.com/jenniferoo/2026/09/25/scotus-hands-trump-a-win-on-expanded-citizenship-verification-judge-sparkle-and-kbj-hardest-hit-n2207378) (Unknown) - [ABC News](https://abcnews.com/US/supreme-court-allows-trump-administration-citizenship-database-ahead/story?id=136755610) (Lean Left) - [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-trump-save-database-voter-citizenship/) (Lean Left) - [Daily Caller](https://dailycaller.com/2026/09/25/supreme-court-trump-admin-illegal-aliens-voter-rolls) (Right) - [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/supreme-court-allows-trump-admin-use-federal-voter-eligibility-database-during-appeal) (Right) - [Just The News](https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/scotus-reinstates-trumps-voter-citizenship-verification-rules?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/database-noncitizen-voters-donald-trump/2026/09/25/id/1270693) (Right) - [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/us/politics/supreme-court-citizenship-voter-lists.html) (Lean Left) - [NPR](https://www.npr.org/2026/09/25/nx-s1-5976804/supreme-court-trump-save-noncitizen-voting) (Lean Left) - [PBS NewsHour](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/supreme-court-lets-trump-administration-use-revamped-federal-voter-eligibility-database-for-now) (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 Guardian US](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/25/supreme-court-trump-citizen-voter-database) (Left) - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/6111517-scotus-lifts-block-save-overhaul/) (Center) - [Townhall](https://townhall.com/news/amy-curtis/2026/09/25/supreme-court-dhs-immigration-database-n2683609) (Right) - [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/09/25/government-can-use-social-security-data-identify-noncitizen-voters-supreme-court-rules/) (Lean Left) - [Washington Times](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/sep/25/supreme-court-revives-dhs-database-letting-states-check-voters/) (Right) --- Content by TwoTakes (https://twotakes.us). 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