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DHS citizenship database must remain suspended, D.C. judge says in scathing opinion
Democracy Docket • • nation
Key Points:
- A federal judge in Washington, D.C., denied the Department of Homeland Security's request to pause her order shutting down the modified SAVE system used to verify registered voters' citizenship status.
- Judge Sparkle Sooknanan criticized DHS attorneys for not informing her about a conflicting Florida case, where a judge ordered DHS to allow Florida, Iowa, Indiana, and Ohio to use SAVE based on a 2025 settlement agreement.
- The conflicting court orders have created legal confusion, but Sooknanan's injunction remains in effect for states outside the Florida case while the D.C. Court of Appeals reviews DHS's appeal.
- The ruling also blocks DHS from incorporating Social Security Administration data into the SAVE system.
- Judge Sooknanan criticized both DHS and the Florida judge for procedural errors, including the Florida court's failure to consider the impact on other states before issuing its ruling.
