WASHINGTON—The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily authorized the Trump administration to use a federal database to review state voter registration lists for potential non-citizens.
The decision, issued Friday, temporarily suspended a lower
court order that had restricted the expanded use of the SAVE system, used by
authorities to verify information related to immigration status and
citizenship.
The Trump administration maintains that the tool will allow
them to identify people who do not meet the requirements to vote in federal
elections. The measure is part of the president's efforts to strengthen voter
registration verification mechanisms before the November midterm elections.
However, groups and authorities who question the program and
refuse to uphold the principle that only citizens should vote warn that the
databases may contain errors and cause eligible citizens to be incorrectly
flagged.
The Supreme Court's ruling is temporary and does not
represent a final decision on the legality of the entire system. Furthermore,
the immediate impact on the November elections could be limited due to legal
restrictions on modifying voter rolls in the 90 days prior to a federal
election.