WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday cleared the way for states to use a federal immigration database to check voter citizenship ahead of the November midterms, handing the Trump administration a win on election policy.
In a 6-3 emergency decision, the court lifted restrictions imposed by a lower court, allowing states that choose to participate to resume using the Department of Homeland Security's expanded SAVE system. The ruling does not require any state to use the database.
The administration says the system is meant to help identify noncitizens on voter rolls. Critics warn that eligible voters could be incorrectly flagged and removed.
Federal law bars most systematic voter-roll removals within 90 days of an election, which limits how far states can go this close to November.
For Minnesota, where early voting is already underway, the question is now whether state officials will opt in. The Secretary of State's office has not said whether it plans to use the expanded system. NCN is following this story and will update as officials respond.
- National Correspondent Network
