Story perspectives

Judge Rules DOJ SAVE Database Comparison Unlawful

By Drooid · Oct 12, 2026, 2:53 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan ruled the Justice Department’s voter-roll comparison with immigration Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database unlawful.
The policy had already removed United States citizens from their home-state voter rolls.
The court found the Justice Department exceeded authority under the Civil Rights Act and National Voter Registration Act.
Eighteen states gave unredacted voter files to the department, which shared them with Homeland Security and ICE.

History

Historical Context

After the 2000 Florida recount ended with the Supreme Court’s Bush v. Gore decision, which stopped a recount that left George W. Bush ahead by 537 votes out of 5.96 million, Florida’s election system faced repeated legal challenges. In 2024 Judge Sparkle Sooknanan ruled the Justice Department’s voter-roll match with the SAVE immigration database unlawful, curbing nationwide data sharing.

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Story summary

District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan ruled the Justice Department’s voter-roll comparison with immigration Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database unlawful.
The policy had already removed United States citizens from their home-state voter rolls.
The court found the Justice Department exceeded authority under the Civil Rights Act and National Voter Registration Act.
Eighteen states gave unredacted voter files to the department, which shared them with Homeland Security and ICE.

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