Supreme Court Lets Trump Administration Use Voter Database

The Supreme Court has allowed states to use a federal voter eligibility database, known as Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE), while legal challenges proceed.

The emergency ruling lifts restrictions previously imposed by a lower court. The Trump administration had asked the Supreme Court to revive an immigration case concerning whether criminal aliens can be held without bond during removal proceedings or are entitled to a hearing if their detention is prolonged. Solicitor General John Sauer requested the Supreme Court hear Genalo v.

D.C., a case that became moot after New York Governor Kathy Hochul pardoned the central figure, D.C., a Dominican national with a criminal history. The dispute centers on whether individuals detained for extended periods are entitled to a bond hearing. Different federal appeals courts have issued conflicting rulings, creating a nationwide split. The Trump administration's petition is unusual as it asks the Supreme Court to intervene before the Second Circuit issues its decision.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson criticized the Supreme Court's use of its emergency shadow docket, arguing it allows the Trump administration to advance controversial policies, including deportations and immigration stops, with little explanation. Since the start of Trump's second term, his administration has submitted 40 emergency applications and won approximately 80% of its appeals on this docket.

The administration is also seeking to resume expedited deportations to third countries, asking the Supreme Court to allow the practice to continue without individuals having a meaningful opportunity to argue they could face persecution or torture in those nations. A lower court ruling had blocked this policy, and the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dissolved a stay, leading the administration to cancel a deportation flight.