SAVE programme ruled unlawful as judge cites privacy risks and potential voter roll purges

A US federal judge ruled on Monday that an updated federal database tool linked to election checks was illegal. The decision stopped the government from using the revised Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE. Advocacy groups said the changes mixed sensitive personal details and could wrongly remove eligible voters from state rolls.

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US District Court Judge Sparkle L Sooknanan agreed with the challengers and ordered the tool cannot be used. In the written order, Sooknanan said, "All in all, the federal government has knowingly trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote,\" and added, \"This court cannot stand idly by while that happens.\"

SAVE ruling and privacy concerns

Sooknanan said Congress had clearly barred the centralisation of Americans’ identifying data. The order said federal agencies that built the SAVE programme knew the database breached those legal limits. Critics had described the changed system as an unlawful centralised federal database holding voter information.

SAVE and Trump election integrity strategy

The ruling created a major legal setback for President Donald Trump. The Trump administration had aimed to use federal agencies to support a national push against noncitizens on state voter rolls. The modified SAVE system was a core part of the second election executive order signed earlier this year.

The court order left the SAVE system’s next steps unclear. James Percival, general counsel at the Department of Homeland Security, criticised the decision online. Percival wrote, \"Its amazing how hard the Left will fight to stop us from solving problems they insist do not exist,\" in a social media post.

After the ruling, responses from key agencies were not available. Calls to the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security were not immediately returned. The judge’s order means the revamped SAVE tool cannot be used for now, while arguments over privacy and voter access continue in court.

With inputs from PTI