{"id":2627759,"date":"2026-07-10T05:25:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T09:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judges-clash-over-dhs-save-database-for-voter-roll-citizenship-checks\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T05:28:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T09:28:17","slug":"federal-judges-clash-over-dhs-save-database-for-voter-roll-citizenship-checks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judges-clash-over-dhs-save-database-for-voter-roll-citizenship-checks\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal judges clash over DHS SAVE database for voter roll citizenship checks"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffederal-judges-clash-over-dhs-save-database-for-voter-roll-citizenship-checks%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2627759&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Two conflicting federal court rulings have intensified the legal battle over the Trump management&#8217;s use of the federal immigration database, SAVE, to verify voters&#8217; U.S. citizenship. U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan blocked the nationwide use of the modified SAVE system, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/feds-likely-to-force-companies-to-report-pay-by-race-and-gender\/\" title=\"Feds Likely to Force Companies To Report Pay By Race and Gender\">citing privacy concerns<\/a> and potential risks to voter rights, while another judge, Wetherell, ordered the Department of Homeland Security to restore access for certain states, asserting that the earlier ruling violated a settlement agreement. The dispute revolves around whether privacy laws and federal statutes, such as 8 U.S.C. 1373 and the Help America Vote Act, support or restrict state access to citizenship data. Sooknanan\u2019s decision has faced criticism for possibly overstepping judicial authority and neglecting statutory protections,leading to political backlash and threats of impeachment. The case highlights the broader tension between federal and state interests in citizenship verification and voter eligibility, with the courts appearing to be at odds over the legality and implementation of the SAVE system.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two federal judges have issued conflicting rulings over the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\">Trump administration<\/a>\u2019s use of a federal immigration database to help states check voter rolls for potentially illegal voters, creating a legal clash over whether purported privacy concerns can override state access to federal citizenship records.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fight centers on the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uscis.gov\/save\">Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database<\/a>, known as SAVE, which <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republicans\/\">Republican<\/a>-led states have sought to use to verify whether registered voters are U.S. citizens.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4643366\/eight-indicted-attack-plot-white-house-ufc-fight\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Eight indicted over plan to attack White House UFC fight with drones and snipers<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4642329\/lance-twiggs-testimony-released-charlie-kirk-death-tyler-robinson-trial-utah\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Ex-lover describes Tyler Robinson\u2019s erratic behavior after Charlie Kirk\u2019s killing in taped testimony<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4642778\/alleged-national-guard-shooter-hospitalized-refuse-eat-food-drink-water\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Alleged National Guard shooter hospitalized after refusing to eat food and drink water<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. (Courtesy of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/abe-hamadeh-moves-to-impeach-judge-sparkle-sooknanan-after-save-ruling\/\" title=\"Abe Hamadeh moves to impeach ... Sparkle Sooknanan after ... ruling\">net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/sparkle_sooknanan<\/a>.jpg6a50ba6f84070.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. (Courtesy of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, an appointee of former President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\">Joe Biden<\/a> in Washington, D.C., <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/docket\/71499795\/112\/league-of-women-voters-v-us-department-of-homeland-security\/\">blocked<\/a> the modified SAVE system nationwide on June 22 after voting rights and privacy groups argued the overhaul unlawfully exposed <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/social-security\/\">Social Security<\/a> information and risked wrongly flagging eligible voters as noncitizens.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell II, an appointee of President Donald Trump in Pensacola, Florida, ordered the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday to restore access for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/florida\/\">Florida<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ohio\/\">Ohio<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iowa\/\">Iowa<\/a>, and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/indiana\/\">Indiana<\/a>, finding that DHS violated a settlement agreement with those states when it disabled key SAVE features to comply with Sooknanan\u2019s ruling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe fact that Defendants disabled those features to comply with Judge Sooknanan\u2019s order does not change the fact that they violated the agreement,\u201d Wetherell wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Florida case began when Florida sued the Biden-era DHS in 2024, accusing the department of failing to respond adequately to state requests for citizenship verification. After Trump returned to office, DHS <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.flnd.527782\/gov.uscourts.flnd.527782.30.1.pdf\">settled with Florida<\/a> and three other Republican-led states, agreeing to maintain improved SAVE features, including bulk searches and Social Security number-based checks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Washington, D.C., case was brought separately by voting rights and privacy advocates challenging those same SAVE changes under the Privacy Act, the Social Security Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Abhishek Kambli, a partner with Holtzman Vogel who recently departed the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\">Justice Department<\/a>\u2018s Civil Rights Division, argued that sequence is critical because Sooknanan\u2019s decision came after the Florida settlement had already been entered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kambli noted that Sooknanan\u2019s remedy was vacatur under the APA, meaning the agency action was set aside, rather than a permanent injunction directly barring DHS from operating SAVE. He argued that her ruling could not wipe out the Florida settlement agreement, which Wetherell has now ordered DHS to enforce. Other conservative critics accused Sooknanan of overstepping her authority by attempting to stop the federal government from using its databases.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">So if the vacatur was technically satisfied and there\u2019s no permanent injunction in place, I think there\u2019s a strong likelihood the Florida case wins out. That does not mean the DC judge won\u2019t try to find a way to have her judgment prevail but it\u2019s harder than it looks.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Abhi Kambli (@AbhiKambli1984) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AbhiKambli1984\/status\/2074678881236218173?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 8, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo if the vacatur was technically satisfied and there\u2019s no permanent injunction in place, I think there\u2019s a strong likelihood the Florida case wins out,\u201d Kambli posted on X.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That distinction may explain why DHS is now caught between two courts. It shut down the disputed SAVE features after Sooknanan\u2019s order, but Wetherell said that move still breached the settlement and ordered the features restored.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOne of the orders has to give,\u201d Wetherell wrote, adding that he was \u201cnot persuaded\u201d his should be the one to yield.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sooknanan <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/docket\/71499795\/123\/league-of-women-voters-v-us-department-of-homeland-security\/\">rejected<\/a> the Trump administration\u2019s request Wednesday to pause her ruling while it appeals. She also criticized Wetherell\u2019s decision, saying he \u201cerred in significant ways\u201d and had no authority to make merits determinations about SAVE\u2019s legality.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Critics of Sooknanan\u2019s ruling say her decision also failed to account for federal statutes that support state access to citizenship information.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at the Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law at Advancing American Freedom, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/uscode.house.gov\/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title8-section1373&#038;num=0&#038;edition=prelim\">8 U.S.C. 1373<\/a> is central to the dispute because the law bars restrictions on state and local officials obtaining citizenship information from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/soros-backed-philadelphia-da-considered-helping-non-citizens-accused-of-rape-murder-avoid-deportation-records-show\/\" title=\"Soros-Backed Philadelphia DA Considered Helping Non-... Accused Of Rape, Murder Avoid Deportation, Records Show\">federal immigration authorities<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat statute is the key statute in this entire matter, as well as that Help America Vote Act provision that she fails to deal with, and it basically says that the order she issued is wrong,\u201d Spakovsky said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also said Sooknanan ignored the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eac.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/eac_assets\/1\/6\/HAVA41.PDF\">Help America Vote Act<\/a>, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/if-pas-elections-are-secure-why-did-doj-launch-fraud-case\/\" title=\"If PA&#039;s Elections Are Secure, Why Did DOJ Launch Fraud ...?\">requires voter registration applicants<\/a> to provide either a driver\u2019s license number or the last four digits of a Social Security number and directs states to work with the Social Security Administration to verify that information.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWell, that\u2019s exactly what the SAVE system is doing,\u201d Spakovsky said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Voting rights groups have argued SAVE can contain outdated immigration information, meaning naturalized citizens could be wrongly flagged as noncitizens and removed from voter rolls.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sooknanan\u2019s decision endorsed this argument, agreeing with parties who challenged the policy that it \u201cknowingly trampled on the privacy rights of U.S. citizens in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She also wrote, \u201cSimply put, Section 1373(a) does not on its own authorize the establishment of the SAVE modified system \u2014 it is merely a prohibition on conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4638795\/abe-hamadeh-impeachment-articles-biden-judge-sparkle-sooknanan\/\">ABE HAMADEH BEGINS DRAFTING IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES AGAINST BIDEN JUDGE WHO BLOCKED VOTER DATABASE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dueling decisions have turned the SAVE fight into a broader test of how far one district judge can go in blocking a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >federal election-related system<\/a> when another court has already approved a settlement requiring the government to maintain it for several states.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since Sooknanan\u2019s ruling, she has <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4638795\/abe-hamadeh-impeachment-articles-biden-judge-sparkle-sooknanan\/\">faced threats of impeachment<\/a> by a Republican congressman and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4630658\/judge-sparkle-sooknanan-complaint-doj\/\">even a complaint filed<\/a> with the District of Columbia Court of Appeals\u2019s Office of Disciplinary Counsel, accusing her of \u201cdishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation\u201d related to her work at the DOJ under the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Judges clash over voter database use and privacy rights<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2627760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Sooknanan_Wetherell.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[82517,34382,41739,82518,37712],"class_list":["post-2627759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-dhs-save-database","tag-election-security","tag-federal-judges","tag-judicial-dispute","tag-voter-citizenship"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Sooknanan_Wetherell.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2627759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2627759"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2627759\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2627763,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2627759\/revisions\/2627763"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2627760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2627759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2627759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2627759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}