The U.S. Supreme Court on 25 September allowed the federal government to resume using a modified version of the SAVE citizenship-verification programme while an appeal continues, a ruling election lawyer Marc Elias says could have consequences beyond its immediate effect on the 2026 midterm elections.
In an unsigned per curiam opinion in Department of Homeland Security v. League of Women Voters, the Court stayed a 22 June order that had vacated the 2025 modifications to SAVE. The programme, formally known as Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, now incorporates checks against additional Social Security Administration records and allows state and local authorities to conduct bulk searches.
