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The US Supreme Court has lifted restrictions on the Trump administration’s use of a federal database containing citizenship and other sensitive information to check voter eligibility.
The decision is a victory for the administration as it seeks to address allegations of non-citizen voting. Critics warn that the system could result in eligible voters being wrongly removed from electoral rolls, according to the BBC.
The court’s three liberal justices dissented, while its six conservative members supported the decision.
How the SAVE system works
The Department of Homeland Security programme, known as the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, allows officials to verify the citizenship or immigration status of people listed on voter rolls.
The database was created in 1986 to help officials determine the eligibility of people applying for public benefits. Last year, the Trump administration expanded its capabilities to permit bulk searches using Social Security numbers.
Earlier ruling found privacy violations
In June, US District Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan, a Biden appointee, ruled that the revised system was illegal and violated the privacy rights of Americans.
She said the federal government had “knowingly trampled on the privacy rights” of US citizens “in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote”.
A federal appeals court allowed that ruling to remain in effect before the Supreme Court overturned it on Friday.
