Supreme Court Allows Texas Access to Expanded Citizenship Data for Voter Rolls

The Supreme Court has allowed the federal government to continue providing Texas and other states access to an expanded citizenship-verification system while litigation over the program continues.

What did the Supreme Court decide?

The Supreme Court stayed a lower-court judgment that had set aside an expanded version of the Department of Homeland Security's Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, system.

The decision allows the modified SAVE system to remain in use while the underlying legal challenge proceeds. The Supreme Court said federal law requires DHS to respond to state and local government requests seeking to verify or determine an individual's citizenship or immigration status.

Texas officials use SAVE information to help verify citizenship and maintain voter registration records. The Trump administration expanded the system to make citizenship verification available to state and local election officials.

Attorney General Ken Paxton intervened in the case in April to defend Texas' access to the modified system, arguing that it helps the state maintain accurate voter rolls and verify voter eligibility.

AG Ken Paxton: "Today's Supreme Court ruling is a win for the integrity of our elections and the democratic process. Texas must continue to be able to utilize resources that help us keep our elections fair and secure to protect the voice of the American people."

What happens next?

The Supreme Court's action is a stay rather than a final resolution of the underlying lawsuit. The litigation will continue in the lower courts.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from the Supreme Court's stay, arguing that allowing the modified SAVE system to continue could create risks for eligible voters, including recently naturalized citizens.